Freedom
by meg198
Summary: Complete. What would happen if Aang and Iroh had given Zuko and Katara just a few minutes more in the Crystal Cave? And we all know, if you change one thing, you change the whole story. So what's gonna happen, you ask? Let's find out! Rated T. Zutara.
1. Chapter 1: The Cave

**Hello everyone! This is my first story on here! Yay! I watched Avatar when I was little for the longest time and am still in love with it today. Even though the writers ended the show ended many moons ago, there are two things I regret about the series. The fact that we never got 3 really good movies and that Zuko and Katara didn't get together. So heres my consolation prize! Enjoy my first story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Freedom**

It was wet, cold, and the only light was from the glowing green crystals. Katara was slightly bruised from the beating she received from Azula and her lackeys. _If only she had her water skin_ , she thought. Or better if they hadn't tricked her. She was fooled by their tricks, again. Katara settled herself against a crystal, as she examined her surroundings. There was a drip of water from the ceiling, the only sound in her crystal prison.

Suddenly there was a noise from the stone door being moved aside from the Dai Li. Katara stood, praying Aang had finally found her. Instead, the Dai Li carelessly threw a earth kingdom man into the room.

"You've got company", the Dai Li agent, almost as if mocking her, said.

Katara moved closer hoping to help the innocent man. Oh boy was she wrong.

"Zuko!"

He stayed there, turning is back to her. Katara started to pace, her anger towards him and the situation rising.

"Why did they throw you in here?" she said in an angry tone, but she received no response. Zuko sat, staring at the floor. "Oh let me guess, it's a trap. So that way when Aang shows up to help me, you can finally have him in your little fire nation clutches", she said practically mocking him to his back. But still, Zuko only slightly looked over his shoulder, showing her the scar side of his face, then went back to looking at the floor. "You are a terrible person! You know that?! Always following us, hunting the Avatar! Trying to capture the world's last hope for peace!" Katara glared at his back, not caring if he was really listening. "But what do you care? You're the Fire Lord's son… Spreading war and violence and hatred is in your blood". This finally seemed to get him riled up. "You don't know what you're talking about.." he told her, while still keeping his strange level-headed demeanor, which was slightly strange for Zuko. "How dare you!" she cried. "You have no idea what this war has put me through! Me personally!" she touched her necklace as tears started to fall from her blue eyes. "The fire nation took my mother away from me", Katara sat with her back to him, sobbing quietly to herself.

Zuko finally turned to look at her, "I'm sorry". "That's something we have in common." he said to her back.

This caused Katara to look up and turn back to him. She looked at him for a minute, trying to understand. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"The fire nation took my mother away from me too.." he looked to the floor, unable to meet her gaze. Katara didn't know how to respond. The person who had chased them for months, the person she saw as barely human, had experienced hardships, just like her. He was just like Aang or Sokka. He was a man.

Katara and Zuko stood slowly. "I'm sorry I yelled at you before", Katara said, slightly embarrassed at herself for her words. "It doesn't matter", he replied, also avoiding her eyes. "It's just that… For so long now, whenever I would imagine the face of enemy… It would be your face", she looked back at him. "My face…" he touched the scar covering half his face, "I see..". He looked back at the ground. Katara quickly understood her blunder. "No.. No.. That's not what I meant" she tried to correct her mistake. "It's okay…" he pondered his words for a second. "I used to think this scar marked me… The mark of the banished prince.. Cursed to chase the Avatar forever" he looked down at his words. "But lately.. I realized I'm free to determine my own destiny… Even if I'll never be free of my mark".

Katara held her arms close to her chest, when she felt the vial of water that she had long since forgotten. "Maybe you could be free of it".

Zuko's eyes widened at these words. He looked over at her, confused by what she meant. "What?" he said bewildered.

"I have healing abilites", Katara replied.

Zuko's shoulders visibly slouched at these words. "It's a scar… It can't be healed", he said, disappointed.

Katara pulled the vial on a chain from her shirt and held it to him. "This is water from the Spirit Oasis at the North Pole… It has special properties so I've been saving it for something important… I don't know if it would work but…", she looked up at him. "This is important to you..?" Zuko asked. Katara pondered this for a minute then replied, "If I can help you in anyway… I will". Zuko looked at her slightly hopeful, and then closed her eyes. Katara slowly reached her hand up and lightly cupped his cheek and felt his scar. The skin there was rough. It was lighter around the edges and his ear and darker near his eye. He was lucky he had some vision in his eye. _Oh Zuko… Who did this to you?_ she thought. Katara bended the spirit water from the vial. There was clearly only enough for one use. She reached her hand towards his face.

Zuko felt the coolness on his face. It was like someone just shoved half his face into a snow bank. He winced slightly at the uncomfortable feeling. Katara noticed this and used her other hand to squeeze his arm, trying to reassure him.

Katara closed her eyes and focused, feeling his skin and nerves knitting back together. It was difficult work and it took every ounce of energy she had. She felt a drop of sweat run down her face. Then slowly she felt the pressure over her hand recede and she opened her eyes. She gasped at what she saw.

Zuko opened his eyes as he felt the coolness over his eye fade away, only slightly taking in how close Katara was to him. "What? Did it work? Does it look bad?", he asked, slightly nervous at her reaction. Katara laughed slightly "See for yourself…" she gestured to the crystal reflecting back at him. Zuko looked into the crystal and gasped himself. He looked like he was 12 again, before he had received the gift from his father. He reached up and touched the smooth skin there, not believing it was real. "I'm free…", he smiled and turned to Katara, "I'm finally free!". Katara smiled big at him, seeing how happy her gesture made him. Zuko went to her and hugged her tight, lifting her off the ground slightly. He barely managed out, "Thank you". Katara could tell his eyes were welling up and his throat was closing with the tears he was trying to hold back. She pulled away "You said yourself that you were realizing to realize you determine your destiny… How about now?" she asked. "Even more so… Why do you ask?" he questioned. "How about taking your destiny in the opposite direction? How about training the Avatar?" she asked him with a hopeful look in her eyes. Then suddenly…

CRASH.

 **This was the first part of my new story, Freedom. I hope you all enjoyed it because I sure enjoyed writing it! Don't worry though because this story is far from over. I have a whole plot for this figured out. I'm already starting part 2! See ya then!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Escape

**Hello everyone! Welcome to my second part of Freedom! I hope you all like the story so far. I'm really enjoying writing it! But lets get right into the story! And I forgot to say last part that I do not own Avatar or the characters as of right now. I don't think I will be adding any OC to this series but if I do, I will let you know. If I owned Avatar, Zuko and Katara would be married with lots of babies. The End.**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 2: The Escape**

CRASH.

Zuko and Katara turned toward the noise, still standing close to each other. Aang and Iroh walked through the large hole in the cave. "Aang!" Katara yelled and ran to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Zuko sat and watched her, wishing the Avatar could have given him another moment with the waterbender, even if it was to say he would teach him. He glared slightly at the intruder, as his Uncle wrapped his arms around him. His Uncle pulled away to look at him "Zuko… Your scar…" he said astonished. "Katara healed me… She's amazing" he looked past his Uncle to her, noticing the blush grazing her cheeks and neck.

"You did what?!" Aang looked between Katara and Zuko, the anger clearly evident in his face. "Aang…Listen I-" she started to say, trying to explain herself and comfort him. "You healed him?! Our enemy!" Aang yelled at her. "Don't you dare yell at her!" Zuko yelled back, trying to defend the girl that just turned his life around. "Enough!" Katara exclaimed, looking between the two of them. She was breathing deep, looking at Aang, who she has always cared for. He was a brother to her. Then she turned to Zuko, the man who she suddenly felt connected with.

"Enough… We can't argue. We need to leave here" Katara said, looking to the floor. Zuko sighed "She's right… Katara, you and the Avatar need to leave. I'm sure Azula will find out soon that we escaped. Me and my Uncle will stay and hold her off until you leave" he looked from Katara to the Avatar, his sole hope for returning home standing 5 feet in front of him. Katara looked at him. He couldn't seem to understand the expression on her face. Was that… Nervousness? Was she scared? She couldn't be, at least not for his sake. "I'll be alright…", he looked at her and smiled slightly, trying to give her a look of reassurance. Katara nodded and started to follow Aang through the tunnel, looking back over her shoulder once more at the banished prince.

Katara ran only slightly behind Aang, their footsteps in sync. They ran into a large room, looking almost like a battle ground. In the middle, there was a large fountain that held the most beautiful crystal clear blue water. Then surrounding the room was the same green crystals that tainted Katara and Zuko's old prison cell. If it was not a place for the Dai Li to hold innocent people, it may be quite beautiful. But that clearly isn't the case.

"Looking for someone?" Azula said behind them. Katara whipped around to look at her and raised her arms into a battle position. "How nice of you to show up", Aang said, glaring at her. Katara whipped her arms around, controlling her water into a whip, trying to wrap it around Azula's body. But Azula was too quick, racing around the room and along the walls, pointing her blue fire in attempt to kill. Katara was quickly getting winded, she tried her best to fight back but she wasn't sure how much longer she would last. She could already see herself making mistakes. Katara jumped out of the way of a blow of fire and fired back with the cannon of water, but Azula created a shield to block her attack. Katara was breathing deep, trying to stay focused. Azula was standing in the middle of her and Aang, two fingers pointed at both of them, looking between them. Suddenly a blast of red and orange fire shot towards Azula. Katara turned and saw the now scar less Zuko staring back at her in a fighting position, looking from Azula, to Aang, to her. Katara silently prayed that Zuko wouldn't turn her back on them and attack Aang. She gave him a pleading look.

"Zuzu, how nice of you to join us", Azula said, trying to taunt him. Zuko stayed silent, staring her down. Zuko then, just as suddenly as he appeared, swung his leg around in a circle, firing his element at Azula.

Katara smirked slightly to herself then continued to attack the fire princess with her water. Azula yelled, clearly targeting Zuko, "I see your scar is gone, Zuzu. How about I give you another one?" she pointed her fingers at him and used her signature move, Lightning. He moved out of the way, "Katara!" he yelled, trying to get her attention. The Dai Li had started to trickle in, trying to overpower Aang and Katara. Katara looked over at him after apprehending a Dai Li agent. "Take Aang and run!" Zuko yelled, while blasting his sister with all the fire he can produce. Katara shook her head, "We won't leave you." she said using her water whip to move the Dai Li aside, trying to get to him. Once she got close enough to him, she stood by his side, planning to fight along side him. "No." he said, "You need to get Aang out of here… Trust me…" he looked at her pleading. Katara looked at him again, seeing the look in his eyes and nodded. She ran for Aang and grabbed his sleeve, pulling him out of the cavernous room. She looked back at Zuko once more. She saw his Uncle trying to help him, but soon they were surrounded and Zuko was forced to his knees. He looked up just as she rounded the corner.

Katara got on top of Appa. "Come on…" she said "We have to get Toph and Sokka and get out of here". Aang looked at her and nodded, clearly less heart broken about leaving Zuko behind, "Appa, Yip Yip".

They flew over the remains of Ba Sing Se. It was clearly burning to the ground before them. Dai Li were infesting the city and taking over its sectors. The Earth King looked over the edge of the city.

"Ba Sing Se… has fallen."

Katara felt a single tear roll down her cheek

 _I'm sorry Zuko_ …

 **That's it for this chapter! Sorry for the slightly shorter chapter but I hope you guys enjoyed it! I really enjoyed writing the battle sequence! Let me know what you thought about it and leave a review! I hope to get the next chapter up later today so keep a look out! See ya next time.**


	3. Chapter 3: The Imprisonment

**Hello everyone! Welcome to part 3 of Freedom! This is where we start to get into the real consequences of Katara's decision to heal Zuko's scar. This part will defiantly be rated M for some very heavy violence. I will give y'all a warning when it comes up. Again I do not own Avatar or any of these characters. If I did, we would have lots of Zutara babies. Enjoy!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 3: The Imprisonment**

Katara looked around at her circle of friends. It had been 2 weeks since they had left Ba Sing Se. The Earth King decided to travel the world as a commoner with his pet bear, Bosco. He left soon after we landed on Chameleon Bay, to meet her father. The sea was crawling with Fire Navy ships, heading to fully take over Ba Sing Se. Team Avatar, as my brother likes to call us, and my fathers group, took control of a fire navy ship. Disguised as soldiers, the group headed east, trying not to be followed. However, the peace didn't last for long. When a ship from the northern fleet discovered their position, they were attacked. They were forced to retreat on Appa, where they've been hiding in caves.

Katara suddenly spoke up, "We can't continue to hide in these caves". "Katara is right. I'm starving." Toph agreed with her, leaning back on a rock and rubbing her stomach. Sokka shook his head, "It's best if we stay hidden". Aang turned to Sokka, "Actually Katara is right. We could steal some fire nation clothes and no one would notice us. We'd blend in". Toph mumbled under her breath, something that sounded like "Katara is always right". Sokka sighed, "I'm outnumbered."

The Gang stole fire nation clothes from an old clothesline. Katara picked out a red one-shoulder shirt that showed her stomach and a pair of brownish colored pants with a red skirt on top. She left her hair down and to Aang, she looked stunning. But his smile faded when his eyes rested on her blue water tribe necklace. "Your necklace…" he said, a little sad. Katara pressed her fingers to her necklace, "You're right… I guess it does stick out huh?" she took off the necklace and closed her fingers around it. She then stuck the necklace in her pocket.

As they walked to town, Aang kept stealing glances at Katara from the side. Katara noticed, pretty easily actually, but she pretended she didn't. They walked towards a meat stand, as per Sokka's request. Aang quickly scattered to find something vegetarian appropriate. Katara looked around at her group and started to walk down the street. The town was small and quaint but still busy on this Sunday afternoon. Clearly Fire Nation went to the market on Sunday.

"I hear that the Fire Prince is being kept at a high security prison" a villager said.

Katara stopped in her tracks. She walked to the closest stand to pretend she was interested in buying some melons, so she could listen in.

"Do you know what they plan to do with him?" the old man said. "I hear he's someplace in the fire nation, waiting on execution" the young man answered. Katara's eyes widened at this statement. Zuko was going to die… Because of her. She closed her eyes, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to come. "I've heard he's close by, maybe at Shin-Wo prison." The old man questioned. Katara opened her eyes again.

 _Zuko… I promise. I will find you._

Zuko swapped the deck of the prison cafeteria. He hadn't seen his Uncle in two weeks, not since they were captured. He hadn't eaten in 4 days. The guards said he was a trouble maker, and trouble makers don't get privileges. When he sat up at night and couldn't fall asleep from hunger, he would think of Katara. The person he was more indebted to then he could even imagine. He touched where his scar used to be. He wished he stayed with Katara. But he also is glad she never had to come to his god awful place.

"Hey you! Fire boy! Quit daydreaming and go back to work!" a guard yelled at him.

Zuko glared at the guard but continued wiping down the floors with his mop. "On second thought…" the guard tapped his chin. Zuko looked back at him. The guard chuckled slightly and pushed Zuko to his knees, "You can clean on your hands and knees" he laughed again, "Banished prince". Zuko grit hit teeth, trying to hold back his anger, but the guard passed a boundary "No wonder your father didn't want you" he said. Zuko had had enough. He swung his legs around, using a fire kick to knock the guard down. He was quickly apprehended by the guards. He struggled against their grip but it was no use. He was outnumbered… Again. They dragged him off and he didn't want to know where.

 _Agni help me…_

Katara walked back to camp, wringing her hands. She had to save Zuko, she knew it. It's because of him that Aang and her made it out of Ba Sing Se with their lives. She won't be the thing that makes him lose his. She walked up the fire pit, to see everyone was still in town. She sat next to Appa and sighed, slowly falling asleep.

Katara was standing in the middle of a dark room with no one around but her. She yelled out for help, for Aang, for Sokka, for anyone. When she thought she lost all hope, she called for Zuko.

Zuko walked out of the darkness. Katara still couldn't see him very clearly but she knew for sure it was him. She smiled and reached for him, feeling drawn to his presence. But he stepped away. "You left me… You left me to die…" he said with anger in his voice. Her eyes started to well up with tears, "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to… I wanted to save you" she heard herself say. "Does this look like its saving me?" he stepped out of the darkness and she saw him very clearly. His scar was back, but it wasn't scared over like it was. It was clearly new and he had other burns and injuries as well. He looked awful, like he should've died a couple of injuries ago. "You did this to me… You hurt me…" he said his voice full of pain. Katara was visibly crying now, "Forgive me…".

With those words, the room filled with fire and Zuko fell to the floor, as if dead. Katara ran to him. Zuko looked at her and said her name. He said it over and over again, getting more urgent…

"KATARA!"

She woke with a start, looking up at her brother's face. "You were out like a light. Aang got back before you woke up" Sokka said, looking at her confused, "Are you alright? He asked. Katara looked back at him, blinking a few times. "I'm fine." She replied, "Just a nightmare… I have to tell you all something". She sat around the fire, looking around at her friends, hoping they'll understand. "What's wrong Katara?" Aang asked, looking at her suspiciously.

"I want to go save Zuko." Katara said, waiting for a reaction.

"WHAT?! Are you insane?!" Sokka exclaimed, looking at her like she was crazy. "No way" Aang replied, looking very serious. "I'm down." Toph said looking very excited.

Katara let out a breath and began to speak. "If it weren't for Zuko, I would probably be dead and so would Aang. He risked his life so we could survive. And now he's trapped and they are going to kill him. I don't know when, but soon. I can't let him die. My conscience can't take it" she looked at Aang, "And I know you're mad that I healed his scar. But for all I know, if it weren't for that, he may have joined Azula and we both could be dead, again". Aang retorted quickly, "We would have used your spirit water on one of us. The ones who matter. Your family". Katara had seen this answer coming, "What if it was me? And I couldn't heal myself". This caused Aang to look down and avoid her gaze. "We need to do this… It's what's right…"

Katara looked around at her friends. Sokka sighed, "Well I can't let you go alone… I'll come". Katara smiled and hugged him

 _Zuko, I'm coming._

 **(***WARNING RATED M. FAST FORWARD TO AUTHORS NOTES***)**

Zuko dragged his feet as the guards dragged him away. He was confused when they walked him past the coolers. "Where are we going?" he asked but received no response. He was half dragged, half lead to the third floor where he was thrown into a room.

"So this is what the banished Fire Prince has become… How pitiful" he heard a man say. Zuko looked up to see the back of a middle aged man with graying dark brown hair. "I am the warden of this prison. The guards have been telling me you've been a bad prisoner…" he talked to Zuko as if he were a child. Zuko glared back at the man. "I see… I guess a punishment is in order. And you shall be sure… The punishment will fit the crime." The warden chuckled to only himself, "Guards… Bring him to the pole". The guards grabbed him from the armpits and lead him from the room. He was lead to the cafeteria and as he entered, the room went silent. The guards lead him to a pole standing in the middle of the room and stripped him of his shirt. The guard said, with a rumbling voice, "Gather round. This prince will be a spectacle for all of you… To teach you what happens when you disobey us". Zuko was slightly confused, but he knew whatever happened… It was going to hurt. Badly. He mentally prepared himself for whatever happened next.

The guard took his hands and tied them so he was hugging the pole, with his back to them. As he did this, he whispered in his ear "If you beg, I'll go easy on you". Zuko's eyes narrowed and he replied "Never". That's when the pain started.

At first he would hear the crack of the whip, then immense pain. It took every ounce of self control not yell in pain. He could feel the blood trickling down his back. If only Katara were here to heal him… _Katara,_ he thought…

And that was his last thought before he blocked out from the pain.

 **Holy smokes! Super long chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it! This is my last chapter for the day and I will post again tomorrow! I hope you all like these fast updates. It's a real pet peeve of mine when people leave their stories with a cliff hanger and then don't update in 3 years. Is it just me? Anyway, I hope that Zuko's punishment wasn't too brutal. I just needed to show all of y'all that this prison is a real hell hole. Until next time.**


	4. Chapter 4: The Plan

**Hello everyone! Welcome to part 4 of Freedom! How are y'all liking it so far? I'm trying to stick to the major plot line of the original story as much as I can, but as I said, things change when you change one thing. This chapter will go back to a normal rating as per usual. Also read my authors notes at the end for my other stories besides this. One thing I personally love is that because of this story I get to go back and watch a bunch of the episodes from season 3, which I haven't done in years! When did you watch an avatar episode last? Leave a review and read on! Also I own nothing from Avatar except for the Shin-Wo prison. That I made up.**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 4: The Plan**

Team Avatar sat in a circle, looking at a map they had stolen of Shin-Wo prison. Sokka had holding his chin with his usual scheming look on his face, "So there are guard towers here, here, here, and there, at each corner of the camp. The recreation area is here. That should be where he spends most of his time. And here is the main cell building, but he probably won't be here. He will probably be in the high security building with the rest of the death row prisoners. But he could be somewhere else entirely". Katara rubbed her face, "Probably? Could be? I'm not liking these odds" she sighed. Aang looked at her, "We won't know until we get there". Katara wringed her hands, "About that Aang…" she looked away guiltily. Aang furrowed his brow, confused, "What?" Katara sighed, "I was thinking you could maybe… possibly… Stay with Appa?" she turned away waiting for him to blow up. "Absolutely not!" Aang looked from her to Sokka with anger in his eyes. Katara bit her lip, "Aang…" she let out a breath, and said "I knew you wouldn't like it but… We have to keep you safe. Going into a high security prison isn't exactly safe. It's what's best". Aang got up and crossed his arms, "Can we talk? Alone" he then walked away from the group into a small group of trees, as she followed him.

Katara turned to look at him and saw the hurt look on his face, "Aang…" she said trying to be compassionate, to be the mother she's been for him since he got out of the iceberg. He looked at her, so confused, so hurt and asked "Why are you doing this?" she could see his eyes show signs of tears waiting to fall. Katara looked away from him, knowing he would act this way. She had known about his crush for a long time, but chose to ignore it because that was easiest. She didn't want to think about having to hurt him, or have to learn to love him the way he loved her. "I told you why… We owe Zuko" she told him, trying to make him understand. "We don't owe anyone anything! Especially Zuko! He chased us around the world for months! Does that mean nothing to you now?!" he turned away from her, not wanting to meet her gaze. Katara looked at his back, "Aang, you could be dead if it weren't for him… I could be dead. I can't let him die by the hands of his family". Aang looked back at her, "What if it's a trap? What if he actually just attacked Azula so you would trust him and when we get to the prison, he's going to be trying to kill me again?" he questioned, trying to make up excuses so she wouldn't leave. So she wouldn't leave him. So she wouldn't leave him for Zuko. Katara laughed lightly, "That would be the master plan huh… But I don't think that's going to happen… We don't know what he's been through". "That doesn't excuse how he treated us!" Aang exclaimed. "No it doesn't…" Katara sighed, "When I healed his scar… He didn't tell me how it happened… Where he got it… Who gave it to him… But I looked in his eyes as I  
healed him and I know enough that it was beyond something either of us could imagine… I mean what father would banish their only son in the first place! We've established the fact that Fire Lord Ozai is not a nice person…" she shook her head a little, trying to get back on track, "What I'm trying to say is… We don't know Zuko's past… That doesn't excuse what he's doing in the present… But we should give him a chance… Because he gave us a chance… He gave us our best chance to survive and I don't think he should be punished for that… It doesn't matter if it's Zuko or Zhao or the top fire navy general… If he gave us our best chance… I'm going to give them their best chance… And you have to accept that… Even if you don't like that. Trust me" she looked him in the eyes, breathing deep, as she finished her speech. Katara could tell Aang was trying to give her a reason to prove her wrong. But when he couldn't find one, he said "Fine… But I'm going with you… I'm not letting you go alone. You don't have a choice. Even if you make me stay, I will follow you", he looked her in the eyes and Katara knew he wasn't lying. She sighed and nodded, "Now come here…" she held out her arms to embrace him. He walked to her and she pulled him close. He had gotten much taller since they had found him so many moons ago. Now he came to rest his head just on her shoulder, and she held him, she begged Tui and La to make her feel something other then motherly love for this young boy.

They walked back to camp together. Toph looked up when she felt them approach, "Did you too kiss and make up?" she laughed at her remark. Aang's cheeks turned a bright crimson as he sat back in the circle. Katara sat next to him, "Back to the plan…".

As Zuko opened his eyes, he saw nothing but darkness. _Am I dead,_ he wondered. Suddenly there was a bright light as the door opened, revealing a female guard. "Wakey, Wakey" she said, laughing as she taunted him. He sat up slowly, ignoring her remarks. As he sat up, he received a shooting pain in his back. He suppressed a wince. "Someone is here to see you" she smirked as she said this, and he immediately knew it couldn't be someone he would want to see. He saw a man step forward from the hallway.

"Hello son". It was his father.

Zuko glared up at him. "No greeting for your darling old dad? Pity" Ozai said when Zuko refused to reply to him. "No matter… I just came to tell you the manners of your execution". This caused Zuko to look back at him, "Execution?" he asked. Ozai laughed, if you could even call it that, "You really think I could let you live? Zuko, you are more naive then I thought… In three days, you will be dead. And it will be spread throughout the nation, that the banished traitor prince is dead". Zuko looked up at the man he called his father. He wanted to be surprised. He wanted to tell him he was kidding. But he knew for a fact he wasn't.

Katara walked through town. The group decided they needed as much information as humanly possible before they infiltrated the prison. Katara was about to walk up to a stand to try to ask about the Shin-Wo prison, when something caught her eye. A poster. For Zuko. For Zuko's execution. Katara felt her eyes well up with tears. They only had 3 days. In 3 days, it would be too late. In 3 days, he would be dead. And it would be her fault. She thought they had at least a month. Toph had said that was earth kingdom law. _Figures the fire nation would give him 3 days_ she thought. She ran around town, gathering the group, clearly frazzled. She just hoped they wouldn't be too late when they got there.

The only one with information was Sokka. Sokka began to speak, "Whenever someone is executed, they send a representative to the prison from the capital. But the big controversy is that Ozai is refusing to send anyone for his son. He doesn't even want to be there. So here's what we do" he pulls out the execution announcement and points to a big scribble at the bottom of the page, "The Fire Lord's signature. We send the warden a messenger hawk with a letter saying he changed his mind. He would send one of his most ruthless representatives to survey Zuko's execution and she would be accompanied by a solider since she's not a bender. This will be me. Then Toph and Aang would steal guard uniforms, because they look the most fire nation. If anyone notices, they're from the colonies" he smiled at his plan, "it's fool proof!" Katara sighed at this "What if we get find out? I don't exactly look Fire Nation". Sokka nodded at this "You don't need to be. If anyone asks, you just shoot them one of your death glare looks and that shut them up". Toph then spoke up, "Right now, it's the best plan we have" she looked towards Katara, "It's the only hope we have of saving your boyfriend". Katara blushed crimson at this; "He's not my boyfriend!" she looked away. Toph laughed, "Right". Sokka quickly changed the subject, not wanting to hear Zuko as Katara's boyfriend, "It's the only chance we have. You might be able to delay the execution if you have to". Katara nodded, and then looked towards the horizon.

 _La, protect him._

 **That's it for this chapter! I graduate today so I don't think that I will be able to post again today but there will be another part tomorrow! But I want to ask you about some possible stories beside this. I have a few ideas and I plan to do all of them at some point. But which one first? Let me know in a review!**

 **A modern AU, not sure what, but something with no bending**

 **A Vampire Modern AU, Katara is doing an internship at the hospital, when she catches a man (Zuko) hunched over one of her patients. He quickly leaves through the window when he sees her.**

 **Has anyone read The Selection Series? Well it would be the Selection Avatar Style. I really recommend that series if you haven't read it already.**

 **What I like to think happened about season 3, completely canon, with my affair twist.**

 **Let me know which you like and also if you have any other ideas! Thank you for reading! See ya next time!**


	5. Chapter 5: The Infiltration

**Hello everyone Welcome to part 5 of Freedom! Sorry this chapter is a little late. I was super busy today. Thank you so much to those of you who have reviewed! It means so much to me! Also last chapter I posted some alternate story ideas so I check them out! Also does anyone watch Once Upon A Time? Would anyone like to see fanfiction about that? Let me know! But for now read on! And again I do not own Avatar or the characters or the ship, but I wish I did.**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 5: The Infiltration**

Katara looked at herself in a puddle. Her hair was straightened with sweet smelling oils that were supposed to last one week. It was pulled in a half up half down hairstyle that made her look visibly fire nation. Her skin was slightly lighter, thanks to a powder they found at some beauty shop. She actually looked like a fire nation noble woman. In one way, it disgusted her. If she were actually a noble woman, her brother and a husband would be part of the devastation this war has caused. In another way, it excited her. She was going to break into a prison right under the fire nation's nose. It was exhilarating.

They were about a mile away from the prison. The prison was surrounded by mountains on all sides, making it even more impossible to escape. And that's exactly what they plan to do. Sokka put on his helmet, "Good luck everyone" he said. Katara nodded, looking towards the direction that the ostrich carriage would be picking them up. Aang looked at her, "We'll see you on the inside" then he grabbed his glider and opened it, flying away with Toph clinging tightly to his chest. Now they were to wait for their ride to the prison, and pray that this didn't fail.

Katara and Sokka heard the caravan approach. A guard stepped from the ostrich horse, "You must be Lady Fire" he bowed the respectful fire nation bow, while Rachel glared down at him, trying her best to pretend he was a murderer. The cause of the war, so she didn't feel bad for lying to him, since he may be killed for letting a imposter into the prison. Katara rolled her eyes, "This is my body guard, Wang. Do not address him. Now you will lead me to the prison" she let Sokka help her into the coach. Katara let out a breath when Sokka closed the door, but said nothing in case they were overhearing. The ride to the prison was quiet, like the dread of what they were doing was finally hitting them.

Katara looked at the prison as they passed over the top of a hill. It was massive. Huge buildings filled with prisoners as far as the eye can see. Recreational yards as big as the airball fields Aang showed them at the Northern Air Temple. Katara glanced at Sokka, seeing the same recognition in his eyes. They stopped at the gate on the fence surrounding the prison. Katara looked at the man guarding the gate as they passed and his lifeless cold eyes as he stared straight ahead. If he had not been standing, she would have thought he was corpse. The driver opened the window to the inside of the coach, "My lady, would you like to stop at your room or greet your prisoner?" he asked, slightly wearily. Katara replied in the most commanding voice she could, "You will leave me and my guard with the prisoner while you drop my bags off at my room. I shall have a few words for the banished scum" her heart broke as she said those words. The guard nodded and continued forward towards the back of the camp, when he stopped at the large building, at least 5 stories high. Katara guessed, by the plain gray concrete structure, that this was not a place for the good prisoners. The guard opened the door and Sokka stepped out, turning around to help her out in the most soldiers like stance he could muster.

The group of the guard and imposters walked through the building. Katara tried to keep her chin up, as if she was looking down upon everyone else, and glare at prisoner they passed, immediately feeling guilty afterwards. The guard stopped at one door, "This is it my lady. Shall I get you anything else?". "A glass of water. Then nothing more, you shall be on your way" she replied haughtily. The guard nodded and bowed then walked towards a different room. Katara let out a small breath as Sokka opened the door. Katara closed her eyes and stepped inside.

Zuko was laying in his cot. He had to lay on his front, since his back still pained him if he so much as touched it with anything. Zuko knew he only had 2 days left and he didn't know what he wanted more. To remain alive so he could attempt to escape or to die so he wouldn't be in anymore pain. He looked up sharply when he saw his door open. He could tell by his feel of the sun that it was no where near dinner time, and they always shoved his food in the slot anyway, most of it landing on the floor. A young woman stepped in, with dark brown straight hair stepped in and slightly tanned skin, not pale enough to be fire nation, and a fire nation guard stepped after her. The woman stepped into the room more, "This must be the banished prince…" she said, "I am your representative of your execution". Zuko frowned, "I thought I wasn't getting one of those?" he asked confused. The woman laughed, "Your father had a change of heart. He was too busy to come down himself and wanted a full rundown of how you die" the woman laughed again. But as Zuko watched her, she didn't seem genuine. It felt like an act. He didn't seem to believe a word she was saying, because if he did, he would be seething with anger.

Katara prayed the water would come quicker so they wouldn't be disturbed. Every word she said against Zuko was like a stab to the heart. She also the wounds on his back, and knew she needed the water to heal him. Then there was a knock on the door. Katara let out a breath, with a notice from Zuko. Sokka opened the door and let the guard inside. The guard bowed and handed her the glass of water, "Here you are my lady". She looked at it scornfully and waved him off, "Now leave me be". The guard nodded and quickly left, leaving them alone.

"Is he gone?" the woman asked. The soldier looked out the small window and replied, "Seems to be. I'll stay by the door to watch for when he comes back". "Oh, thank god" she said to him, and then she looked back at Zuko. Zuko looked between the two of them, confused. The man took off his helmet. It was the water tribe boy. He thought he remembered Katara calling him Sokka. "It's me. Katara. We're here to rescue you" she looked at him, smiling. Zuko started to smile too. She had come to save him! She was here! She wasn't going to let him die. Then the gravity of the situation sunk in.  
Katara snuck in here, faking a fire nation persona, in one of the world's most evil prisons. Now she was in more danger then she could imagine. "Katara… This is insanely dangerous" he shook his head, "More then dangerous. It's a death wish". Katara looked down and closed her eyes, "I know..." she then looked at him, "But I couldn't let you die. Not for me. Not for Aang. You saved us" she looked at him smiling slightly. Zuko looked at her astonished, "And you healed me. We're even". Katara shook her head, "No… We're not. I could have died if you didn't side with us. Aang could have died. I can't let you die by that decision". Zuko sighed and rubbed his head. He realized very quickly, no matter what he said or did, it was too late. They were here. And they were going to have to fight their way out, with or without him. And he couldn't let them die on his mission to save him. No way. Katara walked closer to him, "Lay down on the bed…" with a tone that was half mother and half something he couldn't place a finger on. All he knew was it was the same tone she used while healing his scar. He lied on his stomach, wincing slightly as he did so, not afraid to show hurt in front of her. Katara bended the water from the cup and it glowed a bright blue. She then placed her hands lightly on his back, closing her eyes as she healed him. Zuko couldn't help but watch her as she did this. She seemed as concentrated, yet at peace. There was always a sense of peace around her while she was bending, even in attacking, which is something he as a firebender did not posess. Firebending is all ferocity and anger. There was no peace in firebending. Yet he enjoyed it now, as she healed his broken skin. Katara spoke up, "That's as much as I can do. If I do more, they'll wonder how you healed so fast and possibly hurt you more". Zuko nodded then looked at her.

"So how you do plan on getting us out of this mess?"

 **That's it for this chapter! Again sorry its so late! And sorry it's a little bit of an abrupt ending! It's almost midnight and I'm about to keel over in my computer chair. Let me know how you guys like the story so far. Also what do you think is going to happen. Is the plan going to work? Or is it gonna go to shit and all hell break loose? Thanks for reading guys.**


	6. Chapter 6: The Second Plan

**Hello everyone! Welcome to the next chapter of Freedom! Sorry I didn't post a new chapter yesterday. I posted my new story, Days of Future's Past, yesterday and I didn't have enough time to write a chapter of this story. Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing this story! I hope you all like it. Also I do not own Avatar, but I wish I did.**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 6: The Second Plan**

"So how you do plan on getting us out of this mess?"

Zuko looked at her then her brother. Katara bit her lip and looked at Sokka, who was rubbing the back of neck, "Well… We hadn't really planned that out yet". Zuko rubbed his face, "Okay… Okay, that's great" he sighed, "Where's the Avatar? Is he close?" Katara shook her head, "He's here… Him and Toph are one of the guards". Zuko nodded, looking away to try and process. They had 2 days. Could they do this in two days? Some people's lives don't last 2 days, and his was about to end in that same amount of time. Zuko raked his brain for ways to save them. To save all of them. Sokka got out a map, and layed it down on the bed, "So we are here" he pointed to the map, "When do you get recreational time?" Zuko shook his head, "I never do. While the prisoners are outside, I clean". Katara looked at him and could tell that it was a lot worse then just cleaning. Sokka stroked his imaginary beard, "Do you know where you will be executed?" he asked. Zuko pointed to the main courtyard, "Here. All the prisoners will gather to watch." Sokka nodded at this, "Perfect". Katara raised a eyebrow at this statement, "How could any of this be perfect?" she asked. Sokka started to speak, formulating his plan as he talked, "We wait the two days, find a way to smuggle Aang out of the prison and get him to Appa. Zuko will be burned at the stake, the way all executions are done. Zuko just has to hold the fire off himself long enough so we can escape Avatar style" Sokka grinned as he finished his plan. Katara looked from him to Zuko, "It's not a terribly plan". Zuko nodded as he looked out his small window with bars, thinking.

Katara enjoyed the silence that transcended between them, at the same time dreading having to leave Zuko in a few minutes. They heard a knock on the door and they all sat up. Zuko quickly went to his knees and Katara said in her most powerful voice she could muster, "Enter…" the guard who drove them to the prison walked in, "Your bags are in your room miss, would you like to go and relax miss?" Katara sighed, sticking her chin in the air, trying to act her best to act like Azula, "I guess he has received enough punishment for one hour" she kicked him over with her foot and stalked from the room.

Katara layed in bed, late that night. Could she do this? Could they do this? This was her responsibility. She brought everyone to this prison. It was her responsibility to get everyone out of there alive. She couldn't let them down, especially Zuko. She healed him yes, but he saved their lives. Who knows where they would be without him? For some bizarre reason, she just couldn't leave him here. It was like the universe was telling her to stay **(or the author)**. Katara sighed and turned over in her bed, her straight hair sprawled across the pillow. Katara closed her eyes and slowly fell asleep

Katara woke up in a canopy bed, the sun shining through the windows. She looked around, wondering where she was and how she got there. But oddly, she was more content then she had felt in a long time. Katara rolled out of bed and walked out of the bedroom. She figured because of the red and gold accents that she was in the Fire Nation. She found herself turning left, as if her feet knew where she was going, even if she didn't. She opened a door, and saw a man inside, with shaggy black hair and pale skin, facing the window. He turned and it was Zuko, holding a little boy with dark black hair and blue eyes, their son. Zuko smiled at her when she walked in, "He just woke up". Katara smiled and walked to them.

Katara leaned up and their lips met. She felt his skin under her fingertips and smiled. This was perfect. She never wanted to wake up. Too bad she wouldn't remember it when she did.

Zuko layed in bed late that night. He felt nervous for their plan and scared for the safety of his friends. Friends… Could he call them friends? They hadn't accepted him into their group yet. Well Katara did, but she had accepted him in everything it felt like. He sighed and rolled over, closing his eyes.

Zuko woke up in a canopy bed, the sun shining through the windows. He looked around, wondering where he was and how he got there. But oddly, he was more content then he had felt in a long time. Zuko rolled out of bed and walked out of the bedroom. As soon as he walked in the hallway, he knew he was in the Fire Nation, more specifically the Fire Nation Palace. He found himself, turning left. He had walked these halls a thousand times, but he had never felt this comfortable in these hallways, and like his feet lead him somewhere that he didn't know himself. He opened a door, and saw a woman inside, with long brown hair and tanned skin, facing the window. He turned and it was Katara, holding a little boy with dark black hair and blue eyes, their son. Katara smiled at him when he walked in, "He just woke up". Zuko smiled and walked to them.

Katara leaned up and their lips met. She ran her fingers along his chest and he smiled. This was perfect. He never wanted to wake up. Too bad he wouldn't remember it when he did.

Azula walked into her fathers study. He hadn't called her into his private study since she was 10. Azula bowed the respectful fire nation bow, "You called for me father?" she asked. Ozai looked up and nodded, "Yes Azula… I need you to do me a favor. Azula nodded, "Of course father. What is it?"

"I need you to represent the Fire Nation at your brothers execution"

 **Dun Dun DUUUUUNNNN. Uh oh.** **What's the gaang gonna do now? Find out next chapter! Thank everyone for reading! And sorry for the Delay!**


	7. Chapter 7: The Action Part 1

**Hello everyone! Welcome to the next part of Freedom! I'm glad you all are enjoying this story! Thank you for the few of you that have reviewed and favorited this story! It has been a blast to write so far and I can't wait for you guys to see what I have next! So for now, I do not own Avatar or its characters. And read on!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 7: The Action Part 1**

It was the day before Zuko's execution. They spent most of the day trying to find Aang and Toph. Katara walked around the prison with her chin in the air, when she recognized him. His bright gray eyes clearly too innocent to be in this hell hole. She walked to him and brushed her shoulder against his. Aang noticed the gesture and followed her back to Zuko's room. He snuck in behind her into the cell.

Zuko looked between them, unsure at first if this was a real prison guard. Then Aang took off his helmet, "What's the plan?" he asked. Katara began to speak, "We need to sneak you out of here to Appa. Once you get to Appa, you need to wait until dusk tomorrow. That is when Zuko's execution is going to take place" Sokka then spoke overtop of here, "Then you're gonna bust in Avatar style and be like KA-POW! And KA-BOOM! Then we'll fly away on Appa perfectly safe" he smiled big at his explanation. Katara glared at him slightly then turned to Aang, "Where's your glider?" but Aang turned sheepish at this. "Actually… I had to destroy my glider… So no one would find it and find out we're here." He rubbed the back of his neck. Katara sighed and nodded, "I understand… But how are we going to get you out of here?" she turned to Sokka, knowing he would have an idea. Sokka rubbed his chin and thought hard then smiled, "I got it!" they all looked at him expectantly, "We tell the warden that you would like to send a caravan with me and a solider to pick up something from the firelord that is being delivered at the port outside the mountains. In reality, Toph and Aang will go get Appa!" he smiled big, happy with his plans. Katara nodded but frowned slightly, "And when they don't come back?" she asked. Sokka thought for a minute then added, "By then it will be too late. By the time they realize they didn't come back, we are going to be busting out of here!" Katara looked from Aang to Zuko and knew they didn't have any other options.

Katara walked to the warden's office. Zuko had told her where it was, since he had been there once before his punishment. She cringed at the thought. She put a dirty look on her face and walked in. The warden looked up, "Lady Fire. What can I do for you?" Katara looked down at him, "I'm sending two of your newest guards to pick up a package for me. The trip shall take them 1 day. I need the package before I leave here. I'm sure you will be most accommodating?" she raised an eyebrow at him. The warden bit his lip, and nodded, "Of course miss! Are you sure you trust these recruits? I would be happy to send some more experienced recruits to get your package". Katara glared down at him, "Are you saying you don't trust my judgement?" the warden clearly shook at this statement and her glare, "No miss! Not at all! You are welcome to any of the guards you like". Katara nodded, "Good. They shall leave in one hours time" with that she stalked from the room. As soon as the door closed, she let out a breath.

 _Dear La… Please let this work._

Katara accompanied Aang and Toph to the front of the prison where their truck waited for them. Katara sent them several looks in the caravan, letting them know she thought this was going to work. But she avoided speaking, in case the guard driving their carriage was listening in. She couldn't be too cautious.

The carriage stopped by the front gate where their truck waited for them. She got out, with the help from Sokka and walked to Aang. She spoke haughtily, "Remember guard. My package is of highest importance and I will not be pleased if it does not arrive on time. It is very large which is why I sent both of you to retrieve it. I'm trusting you so do not mess it up." She noticed Aang gulp at that statement but nod and get into the passenger of the truck.

Katara watched as the truck drive away. She had two hopes in their mind. She hoped that Toph didn't crash them. She also hoped that this plan worked and they all made it out okay.

Today was the day. Today they were going to bust out of one of the most high security prisons. Katara walked into Zuko's cell and closed the door. Sokka watched the door for guards walking by. Katara looked towards Zuko, "Are you ready?" she asked. Zuko nodded slightly, "As ready as I'll ever be". Sokka gasped, shocked. Katara turned quickly, "What's wrong?" she asked, extremely worried as his reaction. Sokka turned to them, "Azula is here".

They were trapped.

Azula walked into the room. They knew there was no where to run. They were all stuck. Azula spoke, "Well isn't this a nice reunion?" she smiled her evil smile, "Guards! Arrest those imposters". Guards roughly grabbed Katara and ripped off Sokka's helmet, grabbing him as well. Zuko tried to reach them, but a guard grabbed them before he could. Azula circled them, "I must say. I am impressed. You managed to fool a warden and dozen of guards. But you couldn't fool me. Shame…" she walked towards the door, "Put them in cells. I will come to interrogate that one" she pointed to Katara, "Later" she walked out of the cell, as the guards dragged the water tribe siblings to god knows where.

Katara sat on her cot looking at her hands. They had failed. Sokka was somewhere stuck in cell like herself because she wanted to be hero for Zuko. And Aang doesn't even know. What if they don't let them go to Zuko's execution? Then Aang will arrive, save Zuko and get caught looking for them. And it would be all her fault. She looked up when she heard the door open. Azula stalked into the room with a guard by her side. Katara glared back at her.

Azula sighed, "We can do this the easy way or the hard way" Katara didn't answer this, just looked back at the floor. Azula looked at her then at her nails, "Shame… Guard". The guard grabbed her and shoved her to the floor. Katara said nothing, just continued her stare down with the floor. "Where is the Avatar?" Azula asked her. Katara glared up at her, "Like I would ever tell you". Azula looked at her, "Why did you come and save Zuko? Hm? I thought the Avatar was your man? I never thought you would have a thing for my brother" Katara didn't answer that, merely just looked back at the floor. Azula chuckled, "Hm… Very interesting… Maybe you'll talk after Zuko's execution tomorrow". Katara saw her opening. She looked back at Azula with horror in her eyes. Azula laughed at this, "Yes, my dear brother will still be executed later today" she came down to her level, "And you will have a front row seat". A tear fell down Katara's cheek, "No…" she said, barely audible. Azula smirked and got up, "See you later water peasant. Today will be the greatest day of my life" with that she walked from the room with the guard, leaving Katara alone in her room.

Katara smirked to herself. Everything may just work out.

 _To be continued…_

 **Tadaa! What will happen at Zuko's execution? You will find out soon enough! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! See ya next time!**


	8. Chapter 8: The Action Part 2

**SURPRISE! Two chapters in one day?! Holy nuts! You guys seem to be really enjoying this story! So am I! I do not own Avatar or the characters, but I wish I did, even though it would be slightly less cool. Read on!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 8: The Action Part 2**

Katara sat in her cell. She could tell from her window that it was close to time for Zuko's execution, when she heard her door open. Zuko was shoved into her room. At first she stood still, watching him. Then she saw Azula standing at the door.

Katara got up and ran to him, "Zuko!" She held Zuko close, putting his head in her lap. Zuko gave her a strange look, but she gave him a look that told him not to question her. Katara stroked his cheek, "What are they doing to you?" she asked him, like a wife would ask her husband when he got home from war. Azula laughed, "I'll leave you with your girlfriend Zuko" she closed the door and left them to themselves.

Zuko looked at her shocked, "What…What was that?" he asked. He looked into her eyes, clearly confused, but not disgusted or annoyed like Katara thought he would be. Katara looked away, "I'm sorry… I had to make it look like we cared about each other a lot… Even in love… She thinks by letting me go to your execution, it would kill me inside…" she watched him for his reaction. Zuko nodded, "That's really smart actually" this made Katara smile and blush. Zuko held her close, "But I have bad news". She put her head on his chest, "What's wrong?" she glanced at Azula, who was watching through the door. Zuko sighed and kissed her forehead, "They gave me a sedative… I don't have any bending". Katara looked at him, upset, "So how..?" he shook his head, "I don't know" he said. Katara buried her head in his chest, "So we better hope Aang is fast…" she felt Zuko nod.

Zuko looked at her "Katara…" she looked back at him, "If I don't make it…" Katara shook her head, "Don't say that". Zuko let out a breath, "If I don't make it… I want to thank you." Katara smiled and started to speak, but he cut her off, "Let me talk… You have given me something… That I can never repay you for… And yet you still risked your life and your friends risked their lives to come here and save me… I can never thank you enough. If we make it out of here alive… I will do everything in my power to thank you for all you have done for me. I am forever indebted to you". They looked into each others eyes. Zuko wiped a stray tear from her cheek, and caressed her cheek. Katara looked into his golden eyes and leaned in. Zuko leaned in closer and their lips were about to touch.

Azula burst in and they jumped apart. Azula spoke up, "That's enough you two" she looked towards the guards, "You take my brother to get prepped for his execution. I have a few words for the girl". Zuko looked at his sister, "What are you going to do with her?!" Azula merely laughed at this, "I guess you'll find out at dusk". Zuko's eyes widened and he struggled against the guards, "Katara! Katara!" he yelled her name over and over. A tear began to fall down Katara's cheek because she didn't know if he was acting or not. And she might never know.

Azula circled Katara, "I see you and my brother had a good reunion" Katara didn't react to this. She kept her eyes down and stayed quiet. She couldn't give Azula the satisfaction of seeing her upset. Azula sighed and looked at her nails, "I suppose you haven't gotten any closer to answering my question" Katara glared up at her. Azula looked at her, "Hm… Shame" she walked from the room, "A guard will be in to get your for your boyfriends death day".

That was when Katara broke down.

Katara was dragged to the main courtyard. There was a large pit of woof with a stake in the middle. Zuko was tied to the stake in the middle. Katara made eye contact with him as she was forced to the front of the crowd. Zuko scanned her for any injuries from her interrogation with Azula. Katara gave him a smile then scanned the crowd for Sokka, seeing him a few paces away. She looked back at Zuko and mouthed _It'll be okay_ to him, trying to comfort him. Zuko smiled at her.

The guards formed a circle around Zuko. Katara watched intently, occasionally looking towards the sky to see if she could see Aang. Azula began to say the usual fire nation incantation, none of it Katara payed attention too, all she noticed is that all of it was said with malice and she clearly could not care if Zuko's soul went to Agni. Zuko glared at her as she said the ceremonial fire nation words.

Suddenly, the guards lit the fire. And all she heard was Zuko's cry of pain.

Zuko tried to stay strong, to not say a word, but as soon as the fire hit his skin, he felt immense pain. Worse then when he received his scar.

Katara began to cry as she watched Zuko's body start to go up in flame. The guards made the fire small enough that he wouldn't die on impact, but he felt immense pain. Katara realized she couldn't wait for Aang. She was going to save Zuko with or without them. Katara drew as much water as she could from the air and put out the fire, battling the guards that came her way. She heard Sokka behind her, fighting the guards as well. But she knew they wouldn't last long but they had to try.

Katara fought as many guards as she could, but she saw Azula standing to the side watching them. She knew even if they did manage to take down these guards, she would enter the battle. That's when she heard the roar of a certain sky bison over head. She looked up and saw Aang and Toph jumping off Appa and joining the fight. Upon seeing the Avatar join the battle, many prisoners joined as well, helping them take down the guards.

Aang yelled toward her, "Get Zuko and get him on Appa!" with this Katara ran towards Zuko. She untied him quickly, his slightly limp body slumping against her. She halg carried, half dragged him to Appa, but she knew she would never be able to help him onto of Appa in this condition. Katara looked at Appa, "Can you shield us buddy?" Appa merely grunted at this and drew them to a corner and used his body to cover them.

Katara bended her water from her water pouch she retrieved from Appa's back. She tried her best to focus even with the battle sounds around her. His injuries were luckily not too deep, but they were still deadly if she didn't act fast. Katara closed her eyes and the water glowed bright blue. She felt along his chest and body for his wounds. Katara opened her eyes when she felt him move slightly and smiled down at him. Zuko looked up at her, "Katara…" he smiled slightly. Katara quickly turned to battle mode, "Can you walk?" she looked over her shoulder at Appa, "We need to get you on Appa". Zuko sat up and tries his best to get on Appa. Katara climbed on his head, "Come on Appa!" she steered him towards Aang, Toph and Sokka. Appa shoved guards aside to get to his master. "Guys! Hop on!" Katara yelled. Sokka grabbed Toph and helped her up. Aang airbended onto Appa's head. "Yip Yip Appa!" Aang yelled and they took off.

They were free. Aang looked down at the prison, "What will happen to the prisoners?" they were all quiet for several moments when Sokka spoke up, "They'll be okay… Azula can't hurt them all…"

Katara looked down at the prison then at Zuko, who had passed out on the saddle. She smiled slightly. Their group finally felt complete.

 **Ooohhh! Long chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed that! I sure did! 2 chapters in one day?! I'm on a roll! I'll see you guys for my next chapter!**


	9. Chapter 9: The River Village

**Hello everyone! I'm finally back! Welcome to chapter 9 of Freedom! I'm so sorry this took so long to complete. I got my wisdom teeth out and am planning my graduation party and my trip for my college orientation. Thank you all for your continued support for this series! So I do not own Avatar or these characters. Let's get to it!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 9: The River** **Village**

Appa wadded through the mucky dirty water. Aang swam beside him, enjoying free time while Sokka fished. Katara looked back at Zuko, who had been quiet since they left the prison. She couldn't tell if it was from pain or being uncomfortable.

Katara climbed from Appa's head to where Zuko lay. He looked up and smiled when she approached. Katara smiled back shyly, they hadn't told Sokka or Aang about their display of affection for Azula and had no plans to do so. "How're you feeling?" she asked him, unbuttoning his red tunic they had bought him in the last town so she can see his wounds. Zuko merely shrugged slightly, "Hanging in there…" Katara smiled sadly at him then bended the water from the lake towards herself. She made a face at the grimness of the water and separated the water from the dirt, then focused her energy on healing his wounds. Zuko looked up at her, watching her concentration. Katara opened her eyes and looked down at him. She stared into his fiery golden eyes, as he got lost in her deep blue sea ones. Katara blushed and looked away, "I need you take off your shirt the rest of the way and turn over". He sat up a little, removing his tunic. Katara did her best to watch Aang playing in the water, so she wouldn't stare. She had healed Aang and Sokka and a few soldiers in Ba Sing Se and they had to remove clothing. She didn't mind them. What about Zuko taking his clothes off made her so… uncomfortable? Zuko turned over onto his back and Katara ran her hands over his scars. She sighed, thinking of the pain he must have been in. The scars had faded with her healing, but the thin lines from the whip were still visible. She healed the burns on his back, trying not to think about how he exchanged one scar for another. "You're done" she said quickly, backing away slightly. He sat up slipping his tunic back over his shoulders.

Aang airbended onto Appa, covered in dirt and grime from the river, "Hey guys, I think this river is polluted" he airbended the grime off, covering his friends with it in the process. "Whoops sorry" he sent a gust of wind towards them, blowing the grime off them as well. Zuko sent the Avatar a minor glare, but it quickly faded once he remembered he was the outsider of the group. "Well that explains why I can't catch a fish around here" Sokka said, "Cause normally my fishing skills are off the hook!" he held up a fishing hook, smiling his big goofy grin, "Get it? Like a fishing hook?" he added, when no one laughed. Toph added her rebuttal, "Too bad your skills aren't on the hook" this caused everyone except for Sokka and Zuko to laugh.

Katara glanced at the downcast Zuko then looked at the river, "It looks like we'll need to go somewhere else to get food" a long scrolled rolled out onto Sokka's back, "Assuming that will fit into Sokka's master schedule" she added. Sokka hummed, thinking, "It's doable. But that means only two potty breaks today" but Aang talked over him, "Hey! Maybe we can get foot there". He pointed to a small village overtop of a muck filled lake. The houses were on wooden stilts and were connected by ramps.

The gang left Appa outside the town under a bed of grass of concealment, in case some one came across him. Katara looked at Zuko as they walked towards the village, "No one should recognize you without your scar. The fire nation citizens only know of that…" she said, fading off, unsure if he was comfortable talking about his scar in front of their friends. But he simply nodded and left her a smile.

A strange man led them in a boat to the village. When they arrived, it was clear this town was among those affected by the war. A fire nation weapon factory stood tall over the village as it polluted the river. Katara noticed Zuko staring at it for a second before looking towards the bottom of the boat. The town was filled with sick starving people, plagued with the sickness of the war. Women were holding crying children with strange rashes. Many people had ribs visible. It was clear that it affected Katara the most, because she wanted to help them. But Sokka was very against helping the village, "No. We can't waste our time here" he turned from her and continued, "We have a bigger mission that we need to stay focused on. These people are on their own". Katara grabbed his shoulder, clearly frustrated, "These people are starving. But you turn your back on them?" she questioned, "How can you be so cold and heartless?" she accused. Sokka retorted, "I'm not turning my back! I'm just being realistic! We can't go around and help every rinky dink town we wander into. We'll be helping them all by taking out the Fire Lord" Toph quickly put a hand over his mouth. "Hey loud mouth!" she yelled over him, "Maybe we should be a little more cautious when we talk about taking out the Fire Lord" Katara knew she was talking about the villagers, but judging from the look on Zuko's face, he was also hurt by this statement, not quite coming to terms with the fact he was helping the Avatar kill his father. Sokka rubbed the back of his neck, feeling uncomfortable, "Right…" not able to say he was sorry to Zuko but the regret clear on his face, then turning his attention back to Katara, "Come on Katara… Be reasonable about this… You know our mission has to come first". Katara's façade slowly crumbled, she dropped her arms and sighed, "I guess so". The gang bought their food and retreated to the dock. But not before Zuko noticed Katara giving a small boy one of the fish they purchased.

The next morning, Appa woke up sick. His tongue was bright purple and he was lying on his side like he had a belly ache. They were forced to stay in town another day or two until Appa was able to fly. This made Sokka flustered because his schedule was messed up. He began to talk about cutting out potty breaks and mealtimes in order to make up for the 2 to 3 day detour. But the rest of the gang was adamant about that not happening.

The village was a complete flip from the one they saw the day before. Children were dancing in the streets and laughing. People were walking around as if they had not been sick the day before. "Hey Shu, what's going on with everyone today?" Sokka asked to the shopkeeper. Shu smiled and sighed happily, "Ah something amazing happened last night. Food was delivered to our village last night, The Painted Lady" he held his hands to his chest, almost in a daydream". Katara spoke up, confused, "The Painted Who-now?" she asked. "The Painted Lady" the shopkeeper repeated, "She's part of our town's law. They say she's a river spirit, who watches over our town in times of need" he said dreamily, "I always thought she was just a legend. Until now" they looked out on the happiness that practically radiated from the townspeople. Sokka put his hands on his hips and spoke out, "See we don't need to help these people. They already have someone to help them".

Zuko woke late that night to rustling in the bushes. He got up quickly, but silently in case he needed to attack. He drew closer to the sound of the noise, a ways away from the camp. He looked around the corner carefully. He saw Katara. She had on the robe of the Painted Lady and was applying red face paint to her face and arms. There was a straw hat with a screen to cover the face placed beside her. He walked out from behind the rock and leaned against it, "Going somewhere?" he asked. This caused Katara to immediately jump and look at him, letting out a breath when she saw him, "You scared me…" she said. "So it's you who helped the village last night" Zuko said to her, as she looked away sheepishly. "I know its wrong… I didn't want to lie to everyone… But I couldn't turn my back on these people" she stood up, "You saw how happy they were today… I know this can't last long. It is just until Appa gets betters but- Zuko interrupted her, "Appa isn't really sick". Katara looked up at this then looked away, "He might be sick of the purple berries I fed him". Zuko sighed and looked at her. Katara looked back at him, trying to pull her puppy dog eyes, "Please Zuko… Don't tell them… I can't turn my back on these people" Zuko thought it over. "Okay" causing Katara to smile wide, " But…" her smile faltered slightly, "You let me accompany you… These are fire nation people… If they discover your identity, you could be killed on the spot" Katara nodded quickly, "But your disguise…"

Zuko smirked at that, "I've got it covered."

 **That's it for this chapter! I'm almost done with the next chapter because I decided to split the painted lady into two chapters last minute. It just got wayyy toooo long! Also for the purposes of this story, Zuko still has his Blue Spirit mask. The next part should be up at a reasonable time tomorrow! Until then!**


	10. Chapter 10: The Painted Spirits

**Hello everyone! Welcome to part 10 of Freedom! We hit the magic number 10! Woo-hoo! I hope you all enjoyed the last part! I was typing it out and realized that I was exhausted and also it was almost 3000 words long, which is too much longer then the rest of my chapters. I like to keep mine between 1300-2000 which I know you guys might not like but it allows me to get chapters out much faster for you guys! Also please excuse any typos or anything that may differ from the show slightly. I wrote the end of this chapter in a 6 hour car ride. But in case you forgot, I do not own Avatar or its characters and lets get right into the chapter!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 10: The Painted Spirits**

Disguised as the Blue Spirit and the Painted Lady they went through the town and healed who they could and gave as much as they could to the sleeping townspeople. Katara used her waterbending to propel them across the waters undetected. Zuko walked ahead, being the guard. Katara studied his mask. It was blue and white, looking very much like a water tribe ceremonial mask that the man wears before he goes to hunt. It's said that the demon features scares away spirits that intend to sabotage the hunt and put our warriors in danger. She wondered how he got it and why he kept it. She shook her head slightly and headed inside of one of the healing huts. She scanned her eyes over the approximately 20 dying people. She couldn't help all of them. But she could help most. Zuko stood by her side as she healed. He handed her medicines and left food next to the sleeping villagers. He stayed quiet and moved stealthily so he wouldn't cause much noise. Katara went to each person, healing who she could and leaving supplies with who she couldn't.

Katara smiled when their work was finished. The people of this town would prosper from the medicine and food she provided for them and hopefully be able to come out of the slump that they were in. Katara nodded to Zuko and they retreated from the building. Zuko stopped her though when he heard small footsteps coming towards them. He turned towards the noise and it was a small boy, one of the ones she had healed. The remnants of his rash still lingered but Katara left him some cream to finish the healing process. The boy looked up at the believed to be spirit and smiled, "Thank you Painted Lady and Blue Spirit". Katara looked at Zuko wondering how the boy had a name for him. But Zuko simply nodded slightly and lead her away, back into the water.

As they walked back to camp, Zuko spoke to her, "So tell me about this plan…" Katara's eyes widened at this statement. She had forgotten that Zuko knew nothing of the Eclipse. "Well… In about a month, there will be an eclipse. Then the fire benders will lose their power… We plan to attack the fire palace then when the fire lord is vulnerable. Then Aang can apprehend him while" Zuko cut her off, "You can say kill… It's okay" Katara blushed and looked down. "It's a good plan." he added. Katara smiled at this, "It's all Sokka's idea. Of course we could use your help when we're at the palace. We know nothing of it's under ground" Zuko nodded at this; "Of course…" he looked forward again, loosening the collar of his black clothing. Katara watched him, "Zuko…?" he looked back at her, "Why did the boy know who you were?" but to this he simply sighed, thinking it over. "My mother gave me this mask… She said it was from her childhood. I didn't really understood what that meant at the time. Back then it was just a way to scare Azula and her friends… Then back when I traveled with my Uncle in the earth kingdom…We didn't have any money. We were starving and didn't have any money for food. So, I stole from the rich, the people who could afford it. I eventually started giving some to the poor when me and Uncle had enough… I would take down thugs in this mask" he looked down at the demon mask in his hand, "I wasn't a banished prince or a fire nation soldier… I was helping people… It was what my mother would have wanted me to do with the mask I thought". Katara smiled as he told his story, "She sounds like an amazing woman…" Zuko looked down then looked at her and smiled shyly, "I think she would have liked you". Katara blushed a little and looked away. Then she looked back at him, "You said she was gone… Is she…" Zuko shook his head, "I don't know where she is". They both remained quiet until they reached camp and climbed into their sleeping bags.

The next day was more thriving then the previous. A statue of the painted lady was placed in the town square, as people clapped and cheered for its installment. The town was buzzing with talk of the painted lady and her loyal sidekick, the Blue Spirit. Zuko smiled at this, how he was able to help his people. Sokka grumbled with his pessimistic attitude, "If she really wanted to help, she would use her spirit magic to blow up that factory". Katara and Zuko exchanged a look.

Katara was putting on her war paint as Zuko was strapping on his mask. This was the last night that they would stay here, and they had to do this before they left. The pair snuck into the factory. Katara used her water bending to blow up the piped from the inside, flooding the place with water. Zuko used his firebending to overheat the boilers and cause them to explode. They quickly fled the scene, already seeing the sun start to rise. They knew the rest of the gang would be awake soon and discover they were missing. Katara didn't want her brother jumping to either conclusion of why her and Zuko were alone. They ran as quickly as they could back to camp

They tried to walk as silently as they could. But they knew as soon as they saw Sokka, holding her sleeping bag, that was full of straw a few hours earlier, and very much awake, that they were in big trouble. "I know you're the Painted Lady!" he turned on Zuko, "And you! I know you're her sidekick! How am I supposed to trust you when you go parading off with my sister and causing trouble?!" Katara yelled back at him, "Leave him out of this!" but Sokka puffed and crossed his arms, "Katara, what you did put our whole mission in jeopardy. We are leaving right now" Katara looked down and went to pack her things, Zuko following close behind. She knelt next to her bag and sighed, "Well… We did what we had to do…" Katara smiled but Zuko didn't look happy. He merely looked into his bag of things "As if they didn't hate me enough already…" Katara sighed at this and rubbed his shoulder, "They don't hate you… They just don't understand you yet… You did kinda chase us from North to South… Or South to North more like it" this caused him to smile a little, causing Katara to smile more. She couldn't help but wonder why he didn't smile more. She enjoyed his smile, but she caught off that train of thought before it got any further.

 _Dear La, Please let no harm come to that village._

 **Ta-Daa! Sorry this chapter took a really long time to put up! I've been super busy and I really had trouble writing the last half of this chapter. I couldn't figure out exactly how I wanted it to go but this is what I came up with! I hope you all like it. But I have a surprise so I hope that will make up for it! Leave a review cause I love reading them and seeing what you like about this story! I'm also open to suggestions on how Zuko and Katara's relationship should progress! Until next time!**


	11. Chapter 11: The Painted Spirits Return

**Holy 2 chapters Batman! I figured since I was a bad author and promised a quick update when it was very long time between updates. You guys deserve it (Also that chapter I split into 2 parts, ended up being split into 3 parts, but no one needs to know that). Thank you all for reading and reviewing and I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Also I don't own Avatar… We've been over this.**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 11: The Painted Spirits Return**

The gaang looked over the edge of the mountain they resided on and saw the fire nation boats headed for the village. Katara gasped and went to a rock to look closer. "What did you do?!" Sokka accused Katara, "We kinda destroyed their factory…" Sokka cut off any explanation she was forming, "You what?!" but Katara accused back, in the nature of siblings, "It was your idea!" she rebuttled. Sokka looked slightly taken aback but still angry, "I was joking! I made funny noises!" he rubbed his forehead, "Did you even think this through?! The army is going to blame the villagers. They're headed there right now to get revenge" Katara spoke up, "Well what was I supposed to do?" to which Sokka and an immediate answer, "Leave! Do nothing". Katara furrowed her brow and turned to him, "No! I will never ever turn my back on people who need me!" Sokka flinched away from her, "I'm going to the village" she continued, "And I'm going to do whatever I can" she started to walk away. Zuko got up and followed her, clearly on her side of the argument.

Sokka got up and followed her, putting a hand on her shoulder to stop her, "Wait" he said, "I'm coming too". Katara turned around sharply, "I thought you didn't want to help" she replied slightly glaring at him. Sokka smiled slightly, "You need me... And I will never turn my back on you". This caused Katara to smile, "Oh Sokka... You do have a heart..." she hugged him and held him close. Aang wiped his eyes of tears, "He really does have a heart, doesn't he?" to which Zuko glared at the boy and Toph punched him, shoving him over.

The fire nation soldiers rode water jets towards the village. They formed a v formation, in order to intimidate the village. But the village was mostly not scared. The children hide behind their mothers, but they did not run for their houses. They believed deep in their heart that the Painted Lady and the Blue Spirit saved them. Their spirits destroyed the factory in order to revive their village once and for all. But the leader of the fire nation troops merely laughed at their nativity. He shot a fire blast at the crowd and mocked them, "Where's your Painted Spirits now?"

The soldiers lit a cannon on fire, fully prepared to squash the uncooperative townspeople. But the fire quickly extinguished. They tried again and again to light it, but each time a gust of wind would blow the fire out. That was when a fog descended over the water. A strange mystic tune was heard along the water. The children knew the painted spirits were planning to make their entrance. When the leader of the fire nation soldiers told his men that there was no such thing as a Painted Lady, there was a loud thumping sound in the distance, as well as the grumbling of a wild beast. Suddenly the fog cleared slightly, to reveal the Painted Lady standing on the edge of the land, surveying the town. The Blue Spirit stood by her side. Just as suddenly as she appeared, she flew across the water towards the town and the awaiting soldiers. When she arrived at the dock, she walked towards them. With the flick of a wrist, their water jets were thrown into the cliff side. The soldiers ran, but their leader was determined to over take her and the village. He sent a fire blast her way. The Blue Spirit prepared to deflect the blast but she rose in the air to avoid it, sending a blast of air towards the general, making him fall into the mucky river. The Painted Lady spoke in her commanding voice, "Leave this village and never come back". The general quickly scrambled to the last water jet and sped off, away from the village.

The crowd cheered from the Painted Lady. Zuko looked over at her and smiled slightly, even though no one could see it through his mask. She had the power to save so many people, to bring hope to an entire town. A villager walked closer to her, "Thank you Painted Lady. We owe you a lot" the man looked closer at the mysterious woman, "Wait a minute... You're not the Painted Lady. You're that colonial girl". Katara reached up and touched her face. When she looked back at her hand, it was covered in red paint, that had worn off from her sweat. A little boy spoke up behind him, "You're the lady who gave me food!" the village looked at her accusingly. "You've been tricking us! You're a Waterbender" the villager crossed his arms, glaring at her. The village began yelling and accusing her of stealing the identity of their painted lady. Some said awful things about her race. Sokka ran in front of her, "Maybe she is a Waterbender! But she was trying to help you" he exclaimed. Zuko took off his mask and looked at the village, "He's right... Because of her, that factory won't be polluting your river anymore" he said, agreeing with Sokka. Sokka looked at him, a little surprised he stood up for his sister, "The army is gone! You should be down on your knees thanking her!" Sokka was breathing deep from his speech when he felt Katara's hand on his shoulder. "Sokka" she said softly, "It's okay.. I shouldn't have acted like someone I wasn't and I shouldn't have tricked you. But I felt like I had to do something. It doesn't matter if the Painted Lady is real or not… Because your problems are real. And this river is real. You can't wait around for someone to help you. You have to help yourself" she let out a breath, watching the village for their reaction. The villager who accused her spoke up, "She's right... But what should we do?" He asked. Zuko stepped forward, "This town has been treated like dirt because of the fire nation.. So you need to take back your river. Clean the river. Turn this town back into the fishing town it once was. Then one day when the fire nation... Is reborn.. You can help us rebuild what once was. You have the power to help your whole country... Do so with pride..." Everyone looked at Zuko, his friends in shock. Suddenly the village cheered in triumph. Zuko smiled a little and turned towards his friends, "Sokka... Do we have room in the schedule to stay and help out?" He asked. Sokka rubbed his chin, "I think we can manage"

The village scrubbed the river until it shined a bright blue. Katara, Aang and Toph used a mixture of water bending and earth bending to remove the muck from the water. Others used screens to skim the dirt from the surface. Children made a game of who could collect the most muck as fast as possible. Zuko looked over the hub ub of the village and smiled. A villager walked to him and shook his hand, "Thank you... I only wish you could be our Fire Lord" Zuko stood in shock as the man walked away. He heard footsteps coming his way, footsteps he seemed to have memorized in his brain. "Zuko..?" Katara said behind him. He turned to look at her, "How is cleaning coming?" He asked her. She merely shrugged and wrung her hands together. This caused Zuko to frown slightly at her nervous behavior, "Something wrong?" Katara bit her lip. "I wanted to ask you..." She began to which Zuko nodded, "When you talked about the Fire Lord..." But he cut her off. "I meant when he's gone..." She visibly relaxed, "I knew I couldn't say when he's dead cause.. Some people would cheer" he glanced in the direction the villager left, "And some would burn is alive". This caused Katara to laugh, "Yeah I guess so..." She said, "That was really brave... What you said.. I hope that when this is all over... You get the chance to lead your country…" Zuko smiled at that.

He couldn't place why it felt so nice when she said it.

 **Awww the Zutara love. It's beautiful and getting more present. I hope you all liked these two chapters. I love getting your reviews so why don't you leave me one? Thanks for reading! Until next time!**


	12. Chapter 12: The Moon

**Hello everyone! Welcome to chapter 12 of Freedom! Sorry for the delay in this chapter! I have really been enjoying writing my other story, which is a Modern Supernatural AU if anybody is interested. I got caught up in that story, so much so that I kinda neglected this story. So sorry about that. But here's the next chapter! As always I do not own Avatar or its characters. Enjoy!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 12: The Moon**

The gang had been flying practically all day. Aang was clearly getting tired at the front of Appa, and those on his saddle were feeling the same, all except Sokka, who had his face buried in a map and was giving Aang directions and telling everyone they had to keep going if they were going to meet their deadline. Katara put a hand on her brothers shoulder, "Sokka, everyone is exhausted. We can continue in the morning but we need to rest… Appa won't be any use if he falls in exhaustion" she said, motherly. Sokka gave her a look, "Dad is waiting for us…" he told her, to which she nodded, "I know… But he'll understand if we get there an hour late because Appa was about to fall from the sky" she smiled at him, knowingly. Sokka sighed and looked down at Aang, whose head was dropping forward onto his chest, trying to stay awake to steer. "Alright" Sokka said, "Let's take a break everyone and sleep for the night" everyone clearly breathed out in relief. When Toph mouthed a thank you to Katara, she simply smiled and looked back towards the ground.

It was late at night. The gang ended up stopping onto of a large cliff, which overlooked a small village. Everyone was asleep, except for Zuko. Zuko sat at the edge of the cliff, his knees drawn to his chest and he pondered. He hadn't heard news of his Uncle from anyone. There was no news of his execution or his sentence for treason. He missed him dearly. Zuko was feeling very lost within himself, not in a bad way. Not in a way that made him angry or upset. But he felt something building inside him. Like something big was about to happen. Maybe it was the fact that the eclipse was a few days away and he might see his father if he was positioned beside Aang. Or the fact that he might not be beside Katara during the raid, and he wanted to keep her safe. He sighed as he looked up at the moon. He heard footsteps behind him, but they were too light to be an attacker. Figuring it was the airbender, "Aang I'm not in the mood for more of your friend time" but he was slightly surprised when he heard, "Are you in the mood for some of my friend time?" Katara said. Zuko looked back at her, "I'm sorry… I thought…" but Katara shook her head, "It's fine…" she went and sat next to him on the ledge, "Does Aang really come to you for friend time?" she laughed. Zuko smiled at her, "You'd be surprised" that made her laugh again. He liked making her laugh. "What are you doing up so late?" she asked him. Zuko looked back at the moon, and then looked at her, "Just thinking… What about you?" Katara shrugged, "Couldn't sleep… I like to look at the moon… Do you remember when we were in the North Pole?" she asked him. He smiled slightly, remembering the time when he chased after the Avatar, "Of course… I kicked your butt in our spare" Katara gasped slightly offended, but playing it up, "If I remember correctly, I was beating you until the sun came up. You pushed me against a tree, very rudely for a supposed to be princely gentleman and said" he cut her off, "You rise with the moon. I rise with the sun" he told her, repeating his line. Katara looked back at him, "Right…" she gazed into his eye for a second, then looked into her hands, then back at the moon, "Well after we got Aang back… Zhao killed the moon spirit" Zuko nodded, remembering, "I remember… The sky went red and all the water benders lost their power. Then it came back…" he looked at her, "I always wondered how that happened" he questioned. Katara looked at him, "One of our friends… Sokka's girlfriend… was touched by the moon spirit as a baby… So she gave up her life to protect the moon spirit…" she sighed, looking down and closing her eyes, "I still pray to her all the time… To keep my family safe… Sokka, My dad, Aang…" she looked back at him again, "I prayed to her when you were in prison… I prayed that she would protect you and keep you safe until we got there…" she leaned into him slightly. Zuko smiled down at her, "You didn't have to do that you know… You needed to focus on the mission for Aang…" Katara shook her head, "And let you die? No way…" she closed her eyes, fighting the tears trying to come, "I was already so ashamed I ran… I should have stayed and made Aang run… Then maybe you wouldn't have been in that prison in the first place…" a tear fell slowly down her cheek. Zuko reached it and brushed it away with his thumb, leaving his head to rest on her cheek, "Then you would have been in that prison too or in a different one and I would've never forgiven myself… Katara… You gave me my freedom… From that prison and my scar… That's more then I could ever ask for… Or thank you for… I never wanted you to come find me… It was too dangerous… You've given me my freedom Katara… I can't thank you enough for that…" Katara smiled up at him. He gazed down at her and she gazed back. They were locked in each others embrace for a few minutes more. Before…

CRASH.

They looked up and saw a huge meteorite stuck into the earth. The whole thing was on fire and was heading straight for the town. Katara and Zuko quickly jumped apart as the rest of the gang ran up onto the ledge to see what the noise was. They all piled onto Appa to go towards the fire. "That fire is going to destroy that town!" Katara exclaimed. "Not if we can stop it!" Aang was the first to jump from Appa, the rest followed, except for Katara who slid to the front of Appa to steer, "There's a creek over here. I'll bend the water onto the fire!" her and Appa ascended into the air. Aang and Toph created a trench to stop the fire from spreading across the valley to the town. Zuko used his fire bending to keep as much fire as he could in the trenches so it wouldn't continue its trek to the town. Sokka stood to the side, feeling dismayed that he could do nothing to help. Normally when they fought bad guys he could take a few down. He was very handy with his water tribe club and boomerang. But with situations like these, he couldn't help but feel helpless. Katara then began to dowse the fire with water, by turning it almost into rain. Toph used a block of earth to squash the fire. Zuko continued to keep the fire contained so it wouldn't spread faster then they could put it out. Aang then finally used a mixture of air and water to turn the fire into a pile of ashy snow, coverin g Sokka with it in the process. "Good work everybody!" Aang said, dusting off his hands.

Zuko walked up to Katara, resting his hand on her arm, "Are you all right?" he asked her. She nodded slightly and smiled at him. Sokka eyed them suspiciously. He was afraid his sister was falling for the ex-scarred firebending prince.

He could not let that happen.

 **Ta-Daaa! Not my best chapter but I hope you enjoyed the Zutara moments! Foiled again by some rock haha. Let me know how you guys liked it. Until next time!**


	13. Chapter 13: The Master

**Hello everyone! Welcome to part 13 of Freedom! I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter! Also did you guys notice the title hidden in last chapter? The title was finally worked into the story, 12 chapters in. Also the title for this chapter has two meanings, see if you can figure it out. Anyways, not much to say today, I do not own avatar or its characters. On to the chapter!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 13: The Master**

The gang went into the town they saved the next day for something to eat. They all sat around a table, all of them except Sokka who sat on the steps away from them. The group talked quietly about their win the night before. "These people have no idea how close they were to getting toasted last night" Aang said, sitting next to Toph. "Yeah, the worst thing about being in disguise is that we don't get the hero worship anymore. I miss the love" Toph said, taking a bite of her rice. Sokka spoke up from where he sat away from them, "Boo-hoo. Poor heroes" he said sarcastically. Katara looked at her brother strangely, "What's your problem? Katara looked at her brother strangely, "What's your problem? You haven't touched your smoked sea slug" she asked him, curious about his strange behavior. Sokka sighed, beginning to explain, "It's just, all you guys can do this awesome bending stuff like putting out forest fires, and flying around and making other stuff fly around… I can't fly around, okay? I can't do anything…" he slumped against his knees, feeling defeated. The gang glanced between each other. Sokka had never complained about not being able to bend before. Most of the time he acted like he hated bending. Katara was the first to speak up, "That's not true. No one can read a map like you" she said trying to cheer him up. "I can't read at all!" Toph even exclaimed. Aang continued on their cheering up parade, "Yeah, and who keeps us laughing with sarcastic comments all the time? I mean, look at Katara's hair, right? What's up with that?" Katara quickly smoothed her hair down, immediately embarrassed, "What? What's wrong with my hair?" Aang stuttered, trying to fix his mistake, "Nothing! I was trying to…" Zuko sent Aang a dirty glare, but the young kid didn't notice it. Sokka sighed and continued, "Look, I appreciate the effort, but the fact is each of you is so amazing and so special and I'm ... not. I'm just the guy in the group who's regular" he looked down into his shoes. Katara came to sit next to him on the steps. She put a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry you're feeling so down but I hope you know, none of us see you that way…" she smiled a little, thinking of an idea, "I know something that's going to make you feel better". Sokka looked at her, "You do?"

Sokka was overly excited about shopping. He tried every weapon the store had, nothing seeming to fit just right. Then Sokka spotted a sword hung across the room, "Ooh! That's what I'm talking about!" he grazed it lightly with the tips of his fingers, careful to ruin its prestige. The store keeper walked over, seeing them admiring the sword, "You have a good eye. That's an original from Piandao, the greatest swordsmaster and sword maker in Fire Nation history. He lives in the big castle up the road from here" he walked away, seeing his presence no longer needed. "That's it! That's what you need all along Sokka!" Aang exclaimed. Sokka looked at him confused, "A sword?" he questioned. "Not a sword, a master" Aang took the sword off the shelf, "We all had masters to help us be better." He handed the sword to Sokka. Katara smiled and spoke, "That's a great idea. I could've never gotten to where I am without Master Pakku. Everyone needs a teacher" she told her older brother. Zuko spoke up for the first time since the arrived at the shop, "My Uncle taught me everything I know… I wouldn't be where I am without him…" Katara sensed his sadness when he spoke about his Uncle. She reminded herself to ask him about it later. Toph talked about her teachers as well, "I learned from badgermoles. They don't talk, but they're still good teachers". Sokka examined the sword, turning it over in his hands, "It would be nice to be a master swordfighter. All right, I'll talk to him"

Sokka left for the masters house early the next day. The camp was quiet without him around. Katara glanced around the camp. Toph sat by the fire, picking at her toes, barely watching Aang as he practiced his earthbending. Zuko was nowhere to be seen. Katara looked around the camp for him, "Anyone seen Zuko?" Toph was the first to reply, "I think he went into the woods earlier. Katara looked towards the woods, then stood up, "I'm gonna go make sure he's okay." She walked towards where he went. Eventually she found him. He was shirtless and slick with sweat. He held two swords that she hadn't seen before and was practicing movements with them. He had clearly used something like these swords before. He used them like an extension of his arms, like they were a part of him. She watched him for a moment, watching the way he maneuvered the weapons. "I can see you there, you know" Katara jumped when she heard him speak. She stepped away from the tree, blushing slightly, "Sorry…" she wrung her hands a little. Zuko shook her off, "It's fine" he wiped his face with his shirt that he tossed aside, "What's going on? Is Sokka back already?" he asked her. Katara shook her head, "No… I actually just came to find you… I wanted to know you were okay" Zuko seemed slightly surprised by this, "Oh… I see…" they stood in silence for a few minutes.

"Zuko?" Katara asked, she bit her lip, clearly nervous about something. He looked back at her, walking closer to her, "Hm?" Katara let out a breath, "Do you miss your Uncle?" she asked him. Zuko nodded without a seconds thought, "Every day…" he told her. Katara watched him, "We could try and save him you know…" to which he nodded again, "I actually want to talk to you about that…" he started, Katara rose an eyebrow, questioning him, "During the invasion… I want to find him… I think I know where he is… I would accompany Aang as far as possible into the palace… Then I would split off and look for my Uncle" Katara watched him as he looked at her, almost as if in approval. "Of course… I know how much your Uncle means to you…" but he cut her off, "But there's one more thing" she looked at him confused,

"I want you to come with me…"

Katara was slightly shocked by his statement. Come with him instead of fighting beside her brother? Sure she would be with Aang as long as they could. But when he needed her most, she would abandon him. Could she do that to him? He began to speak again, "I know what I'm asking… But I want you with me…" he told her. Katara gaped for a moment, then spoke for herself, "I'm sorry Zuko… I can't… Aang needs me… I can't abandon him" Zuko cut her off again, "He needs to fight my father by himself. He can't be a child" she cut him off, "He's not a child for needing help to destroy the most terrible man on the face of this earth" Zuko got quiet at that looking away. She didn't realize how her words could hurt him. "The answer is no Zuko… Aang needs me more…"

With that, she walked away from him, not turning around to see the hurt expression on his face.

 **Ta-Daaa! Hope you guys liked this chapter! Couldn't expect Zutara to be complete smooth sailing now could ya?** **J** **Thank you all for reading! Until next time!**


	14. Chapter 14: The Betrayal

**Hello everyone! Welcome to part 14 of Freedom! I hope you guys liked the last part! I know that some people don't like Zutara fighting but we can't just have smooth sailing cause this story would be over by now. But don't worry it won't last very long. Hopefully haha as always I do not own Avatar or the characters. On to the chapter!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 14: The Betrayal**

Sokka finished his studies with his master. In a final match with his master, he proved that he was able to defend himself and was able to use everything he learned. His master also confessed knowing about his water tribe roots, but didn't seem to mind. In the end, Sokka walked away with his 'space sword' and a lotus tile for pai sho, given by his master as a memorial gift. He had a new set of skills to use in battle.

The gang left the city by morning light the next day. The tension was clear to the blind earthbender. While usually Katara and Zuko sat close to each other stealing glances, only noticed by Toph herself. But today, Zuko offered to steer Appa for once, which he never did before. Aang was surprised and slightly skeptical, but Appa seemed to like him enough so he happily moved to the saddle. All while Katara merely ignored the conversation and continued to pack up the saddle. Zuko sat at the front of Appa, pondering to himself. Toph watched him curiously. What changed in the span of 24 hours? The earthbender told herself that she would have to study their heart rates when they got onto the ground.

It was nearly noon when Sokka looked up and said the magic words, "We can take a break". Everyone let out a sigh of relief at getting the chance to stretch their legs. Aang airbended onto the ground, stretching, "So how is the schedule coming?" he asked Sokka. Sokka was poured over his map and time table, crossing things off and writing things down, "Well, good news, we're ahead of schedule. We can take the rest of the day off" everyone let out a breath and cheered. Everyone except for Zuko that is, who continued to take things off of Appa and set up the camp.

Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Toph eventually decided on a beach day for their last day off before the invasion. Zuko stood to the side, not engaging with the group. He sat looking at a piece of paper, the contents of which Toph could no tell. Toph came and sat next to him, "What are you doing?" she asked him. Zuko didn't look up to greet her, "Trying to figure out a route to get into the palace best" he said, tracing his finger over hallways. Toph groaned, "Come on. You can't do work on our day off. That's no fun" Toph told him. Zuko glanced at her then looked back at the map, "I need to get this done… Then I can focus on helping Aang…"

Toph was confused by this, "This isn't helping Aang…?" she questioned. Zuko began to shake his head then stopped, "Well… Technically yes… But no" he said, "I'm going to save my Uncle…" he confessed. Toph nodded in understanding, "I see…And Katara told you she wouldn't go with you. That's why you won't look at each other" she said. Zuko gaped at her, "How did you…?" but Toph cut him off, "So you admit it?" she said. Zuko stuttered for a moment, bewildered, "Well- uhh No. You're making that up. Me and Katara are" Toph cut him off again, "Lie". Zuko began to get frustrated with the blind earthbender. He didn't need her getting into his personal business. He got up and headed back towards camp, away from the group. Katara watched as he walked away.

The group sat around the fire late that night, talking about their day and all the fun times they had. For all they knew it was the last time that they would get a chance to relax together. Katara passed around bowls of soup to her friends. She looked down and noticed another bowl she had yet to fill, but everyone around her had food, including herself. That was when she realized Zuko had been absent practically all day. She saw him earlier, sitting off to the side, but she hadn't seen him again. She looked around and saw him, sitting off by himself, looking at one of Sokka's maps. Katara looked at Aang, "Hey Aang, can you take this to Zuko?" she asked him. Aang looked up and smiled happily, "Sure Katara!" he took the bowl from her and walked over to where Zuko sat.

Katara smiled and sat back with her soup, happy that she didn't have to talk to Zuko all day today. She wasn't sure why he was ignoring her. He had no reason to be mad at her. He should have known that no matter what she would stay with Aang as long as possible during the fight. She would fight alongside him if she had to. But she would never abandon him for anyone. She cared about his Uncle, of course she did. But if they defeated the fire lord, his Uncle would be freed no matter what. So going with Aang was the post decision. He was just being childish like he wasn't picked first to play Ice Ball in school. In the end, defeating the fire lord was most important.

Aang walked back over, a nervous look on his face, "He said he wasn't hungry… I tried to give it to him! I really did! But he refused…" he bit his lip, "Sorry Katara" she could tell that he wanted to do her a favor and was upset he couldn't. Katara smiled at him, "It's fine Aang. If he doesn't want to eat, he doesn't have to" she said. Everyone looked at her puzzled. It was unlike Katara to let someone go without a meal, no matter how stubborn they were being. She took her job of being the 'mother' of the group very seriously and made sure everyone was rested and well fed and was happy. Sokka quickly got over it however, "I'll take it!" she snatched Zuko's bowl from her hands.

The next morning, all were well rested and excited to start the few days ahead. They were very close to where they would be meeting the rest of the warriors Katara and Sokka's dad had lined up. Katara began to pack up Appa. Sokka and Zuko went to look for some food to take for the trip. Aang went to gather some hay for Appa to eat before they left. Toph was sitting off to the side, picking her toes as usual. Katara went to move Zuko's bag when a small paper fell out of it. She picked it up and went to place it back in the bag but something caught her eye. The Royal Fire nation insignia. Katara opened up the letter and looked at it.

 _Tell me everything about the Avatar's plans. Or our precious Uncle may not make it to see the Fire Nation's holiday._

 _Your Dear Sister,_

 _Azula_

Katara was stunned. That must have been why he is so desperate to get his Uncle back. Or he is figuring out a way to double cross us. She rummaged through the bag, loking for any more letters from the fire nation. She heard Toph say over her shoulder, "I get it. You like Zuko but it's a little creepy that you're going through his things" Katara called over to her, "He's trying to double cross us" Katara pulled out another letter from his sister.

 _You chose well Zuko. Let us know if any plans change. Or your Uncle will pay the price._

 _Your Dear Sister, Azula_

Katara felt her heart drop to her feet. He betrayed them. He betrayed her. He should have told them. He should have told them so they could have made a plan to save his Uncle.

But to him, saving his Uncle and saving his honor is more important than saving the world.

 **Ta-Daaa! Uh-oh! Zuko betrayed everyone?! Oh no! Hope you guys like that chapter! It was a little filler-y but the excitement is coming soon. You guys will see! Until next time!**


	15. Chapter 15: The Scam

**Hello everyone! Welcome to part 15 of Freedom! I know some of you were not hppy with Zuko being a brat at the end of last episode but it will all be cleared up this episode along with some fun stuff. But for now, I do not own Avatar or its characters. On to the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 15: The Scam**

Katara was silent most the ride that day. Aang steered so she sat as far away from Zuko as possible. She wanted to push the traitor right off of Appa. Her and Toph decided to wait until they landed to tell the gang. Toph would take Zuko into town to get supplies and Katara would stay and discuss a game plan with Sokka and Aang. How much did Azula know? She wasn't even sure how much Zuko knew really. Did Azula know about the subs Sokka had drawn up and the inventor was making? Did Ozai know they would have long centipede like metal tanks to defend and hold the earthbenders? Did the entire fire nation army know how many of them there would be? She didn't know. There wasn't any way to know unless she asked Zuko, which could be dangerous. For him and her.

Was that why he was so set on her helping him find his Uncle? He didn't want her to be around when they lost. He would steer her away so when the time came and they were double crossed, she would say it wasn't him because he was with her the whole time. His Uncle wouldn't know and she wouldn't know. So the Avatar would fall by 'accident'. It scared her just thinking about it.

"Let's land to stop for supplies" she heard Aang say, steering her from her thoughts. She glanced at Toph who didn't notice her gaze. Aang landed Appa in a small clearing, a 10 minutes' walk upstream from a village. Aang gave Appa some hay from his saddle to graze, then lead him to the small stream to drink. That was when Toph spoke up, "Me and Zuko will go get the supplies today" she said. Sokka, Zuko, and Aang gave her a strange look. But she continued, "We look the most like colonials out of the lot of us. It's best if we go. Katara nodded quickly, "I agree." she spoke. Aang and Sokka saw no problem with it and let them go off.

Almost immediately after they left, Katara spoke up, "We need to talk. The three of us" she sat down by the fire that had yet to be lit and motioned for them to follow. Both the boys were confused by her behavior. "What's wrong Katara?" Aang asked her. Katara sighed and pulled out the two letters from Azula and set them in front of her brother and almost brother. She began to speak, "Zuko double crossed us. I found these in his bag. Toph knows. That's why she took him to the marketplace" the boys could see how hurt she was over the betrayal.

Sokka read over the letters, "I knew it! I knew it! I knew he would betray us" that didn't seem to raise Katara's spirits any. Aang looked at her, "Have you talked to him about it?" he asked. She shook her head, finding the will to speak without tears coming, "No… I can't" she told them, a small tear falling. Sokka sighed and rubbed her back soothingly, "We need to address it. Find out what he told and then we can make a new plan" Aang and Katara agreed silently. Katara felt most guilty. She was the one who had promised Zuko had changed and she was wrong. She betrayed their entire mission by trusting a boy who didn't deserve to be trusted. And there was nothing they could do but move forward.

Toph and Zuko walked through the small village. Zuko looked down at the few bronze coins sitting in his hand, not nearly enough to buy food for the 5 humans and 2 animals of the group. "So do you know how we're going to buy food for the next week with 6 bronze pieces?" Zuko asked Toph, no idea that she was wondering how Aang and Sokka were taking the news of Zuko's betrayal. Toph looked at him, pulling herself from her thoughts, "Huh? Oh right. The money" she thought for a second then smirked, "I know exactly how we're going to make some more cash".

Toph walked up the street, pointing towards a man who uses a stone and three shells to trick people into guessing where the stone is, "Right there". They watched as a man in his late 30s get scammed by the dealer, picking a shell very surely and being very wrong. "You want to get more money… By playing a game that is near impossible to win?" Zuko asked her, confused. Toph explained, "This is where you seeing people are at a disadvantage. Everyone guesses wrong because the dealer moves the rock at the last minute. But I can feel it with my earthbending" as she said this, the scam artist moved the shells as the man in front of him tried to keep his eyes on the shell that contained the rock. Right before stopping, the scam artist quickly and inconspicuously earthbends the rock from underneath one of the shells into his sleeve, then back into a different shell.

Toph grabbed Zuko's hand and walked to the man, pretending to be more blind then she is. The dealer saw the blind girl and smirked, "You there. You want to play a friendly game?" he asked, clearly seeing how he could take advantage of this girl. Toph looked towards the sound of his voice, "How could I possibly play? I'm blind" she waved a hand in front of her face to prove her point. "You don't have to see to be lucky" he said.

Toph sat in front of the table and feels around it, pretending to be helpless. She places a few bronze coins on the table. The scam artist shows the rock under the shell in the middle and starts moving them around. Zuko watches the shells move, trying to keep up with the small pebble. When he stops, Toph points to the one on her left, which has a rock underneath, winning an equivalent of two silver pieces.

The dealer was shocked, put pinned it on beginner's luck, "Wow, fancy guessing. You are amazing at this" he played with a few silver pieces in his hands, twirling them between his ringed fingers, "Would you like to make the game a little more interesting?" he challenged. "More interesting? How?" Toph asked. Zuko noticed how well she played the poor innocent blind girl. He couldn't help but wonder if she did this often back home, or if this was more recent. Zuko was so lost in thought that he barely noticed when the scam artist said, "Well, let's say you toss in your friend's fine swords there…" he grabbed a large bag of money, "I'll put up twenty silver pieces against it, and that's more interesting"

Zuko immediately went to deny him. The price of his Dao swords was too much to bet on. What if Toph lost? Then he was out of a weapon during the eclipse. He would never get to his Uncle if he had nothing on his side. But Toph took the twin swords from him and handed them to the dealer, "I'll do it for 40 silver pieces" she said it with conviction. Zuko stood there with his mouth wide. He immediately felt a sense of dread and worry.

The scam artist moved the shells much faster this time. Zuko noticed how Toph clutched her fist, earthbending. He wasn't sure what she did, but he knew it was to help them win. He couldn't help but smile a little bit shyly. When he stops, she smiles and points at the shell in the middle. The dealer put his hand on the shell, "Sorry little lady, but" he pulled up the shell to see the small blue pebble. His eyes widened, shocked. "I won!" Toph yelled. She grabbed the bag of money and took off, as Zuko grabbed his swords and followed her.

"That was amazing!" Zuko exclaimed, shocked at her ability. Toph laughed, "Man, I wish I could have seen his face. Priceless" she held up the bag of coins, "Now, let's go get some actual food for camp instead of that water soup that Katara makes" she began to run off, laughing. Zuko couldn't find himself to laugh at this, only smile slightly. He followed his friend through the towns center, no idea what was awaiting him back at camp.

 **Ta-Daa! Hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! I sure enjoyed writing it! I wanted to get a hint of the episode the runaway in this chapter. I'm not sure if it will come up again but we got a taste of toph tricking people. Next time will be the reveal that everyone knows Zukos secret. Until next time!**


	16. Chapter 16: The Explanation

**Hello everyone! Welcome to part 16 of Freedom! I hope you guys enjoyed last chapter (and the fact that there is two chapters going up in one day). This chapter is where things get extra juicy. As always, I do not own Avatar or its characters. On to the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 16: The Explanation**

Toph and Zuko walked back to camp, their arms loaded with fruit and bread and jerky and all their hearts content. They were still laughing over the scam artist and how they were able to fool him. "You did the blind girl façade amazing!" Zuko told her, happy to be bonding with his fellow gang member. "Gee, I wonder why" Toph said, "But I did. Didn't I?" she confessed. Zuko laughed and nodded, setting the supplies next to Appa. He barely noticed Katara, Aang, and Sokka sitting at the firepit, staring at him. When he did, he stopped his movements and looked at them.

When they didn't say anything at first, he spoke, "What's up guys? We planning for the invasion some more?" he asked them. "Replanning. Actually." Katara spoke in a cold, uninviting voice. "Oh" Zuko said, slightly confused, "What was wrong with the last one?" he asked them. That was when Sokka stood up and walked up to him, getting in his face, "The fact that you went and told the Fire Nation everything!"

Zuko's eyes widened shocked. How did they find out? Did they go through his bag? He looked over the faces of his friends. Toph's face no longer held the laughter and fun that they had shared a few moments previous. Sokka's face was filled with anger. Aang's face was filled with worry. But the most heart breaking was Katara. She looked at him with a face he never wanted to see. Disappointment. She thought he betrayed her. "No… No please. Let me explain" he begged them, sensing the conclusion they had drawn from these letters. They all watched him but he didn't know how to put it into words. Sokka looked at him, "I would start talking if I were you" he told him. Zuko let out a breath and sat in the circle. He couldn't help but feeling as if he was on trial. He began to speak

"A few weeks ago I received this letter from Azula"

"A few weeks?! The fire nation has known our plan for a few weeks?!" Sokka exclaimed.

"Sokka! Let him talk!" Katara scolded her brother.

Zuko smiled at her, gratefully. She did not return it. He continued.

"I was scared. I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to betray you all after you put all this… Faith and trust in me. No one ever really trusted me before… But I couldn't let her hurt my Uncle… He is the family I have… So I developed a plan."

He looked around at the group for a moment. He let out a breath and said

"I gave Azula a fake plan"

The reactions were mixed. Aang looked grateful, immediately trusting Zuko again, as was his nature. Sokka looked skeptical, not knowing whether to trust the firebender, as was his nature. Katara looked somewhere in between. She hoped he wasn't lying. But she wasn't sure if she could trust him again. Zuko looked towards Toph last. Her look was pensive. She was concentrating. It took Zuko a moment to realize, they all were looking towards Toph.

"Truth" Toph said.

They all let out a breath, none of them realized they were holding. Zuko looked around at his friends and saw the relief on their faces. "I wouldn't betray you all… But..." Zuko told them. They all looked at them with skepticism again.

"I told Azula you all would be coming the day after the eclipse"

"Well that is a pretty dumb plan" Sokka said, slightly offended that that was the best he could come up with. Aang agreed with him, "Yeah. Why would we want to attack the fire nation when they all have their bending again?" he asked.

Zuko explained, "To Azula and any other sound invasion planner, yes. It's a horrible idea. But anyone who doesn't plan invasions, it might work. The fire nation knows there is an eclipse coming up. That is no secret. The fire nation plans for weeks to protect the Fire Lord when he is weakest. The security will be high. So if you attack the next day, the security will be less and you will get to the fire lord quicker"

Sokka cut him off, "Until Aang has to fight the fire lord and he kicks his butt. No offense". Aang simply shrugged, "None taken".

"Azula doesn't see you all as accomplished battle strategists" Zuko explained, "She doesn't know you are working with inventors and trained warriors behind the scenes. She thinks you all are a bunch of misfit kids trying to overtake the fire nation. So it makes sense to her that you will come up with a stupid plan"

"What about the submarines and the tanks? Did you tell them about those?" Katara asked. But Zuko shook his head, "No. They think that you'll be entering the capital from the land side with about 100 other soldiers that you found around the world, whether it be waterbenders or earthbenders. They do not expect you to use firebenders"

Sokka sighed, "Well that's a relief. We're sorry Zuko… For doubting you" he told him, everyone else nodding in agreement. Zuko shook his head, dodging the apology, "You have every right to doubt me… Before Ba Sing Se, I would have done anything to give your plans over to the fire nation. And I will be honest, I did consider it. But I couldn't betray everyone like that…" he told them, honestly. Aang smiled big, "Group hug everyone!" everyone laughed and moves together for the hug, including Zuko who wasn't one for hugs much.

"There is one more thing…" Zuko confessed. They all turned to look at him again. But Zuko turned to Aang, since it affected him most, "I need to leave for the fire nation before you all". Aang's eyes widened, "Why? I thought" but Zuko cut him off. "If we attack on the eclipse and don't get to the castle for a while, my sister might kill my Uncle before I get there. I won't tell the fire nation your plan but I have to save my Uncle". Katara put a hand on his shoulder, "We understand Zuko…" she told him, offering him an apologetic smile. But Zuko kept looking at Aang, "I think you should come with me" which caused an audible gasp from the group. Zuko continued, "I know my way through the castle. I can get you close enough before I go to my Uncle. I'm the only one who knows the secret passageways that are not on that map" he told him.

Aang thought of this for a moment, then nodded, "Okay… When the subs go up for air, you and I will go on Appa. He'll get us to the capital fast so you can rescue your Uncle". Zuko nodded thankfully then walked away from the group.

Katara followed him about an hour later. She wanted to give him his space, but she wanted to talk to him. He was sitting against an old, dying tree, his hands folded together on his stomach and looking up at the stars, Katara watched him for a moment, watched how his chest rose and fell with every breath. Zuko looked towards her sharply when he heard a dry twig snap beneath her foot. She blushed slightly embarrassed, "Sorry… Can I join you?" she asked. He nodded but didn't say anything.

She sat next to him, looking up at the moon. "Do you miss her?" he asked. Katara looked at him, "Who?" she asked, confused. "Your mother…" he asked her. Katara put her hand on her necklace, instinctively, "Every day…" she felt a hand placed around her shoulders, rubbing her back. Katara looked back at him, "In the cave… You said you lost your mother to the fire nation…" he nodded, "How?" she asked him. He sighed and looked back at the sky.

"One day… Azula was making fun of me… As usual" he couldn't help but chuckle at that, "She told me Dad was going to kill me… I thought she was joking… My father would never do that… Or so I thought… My mother came and scolded her. But Azula said that she listened in on my father's meeting with Fire Lord Azulon… My mother hurried me away but I listened in… She forced Azula to tell her everything she heard… Then late that night… My mom came to visit me in my bedroom… She told me to never forget who I was… That was the last time I saw her… Fire Lord Azulon was found dead in his bed the next day from natural causes… I have no idea if she's dead or alive or hiding… I don't know…"

Katara watched him as he spoke, slightly horrified and appalled. But she also felt remorse for the prince. She always assumed that his home life had been perfect. How could a princes not be? But it seems that his childhood was one of betrayal and ruin. She placed her head on his shoulder and he placed his head over hers. "I'm sorry Zuko…" she told him.

But he said nothing, merely looked back at the stars.

 **Ta-Daa! Two chapters in one day and an extra-long chapter? I think so! I hope you enjoyed that! I told you guys it would all work out. I never wanted Zuko to betray his friends. They are the first friends he has ever had. But he loves his Uncle so he had to find a happy medium. So theres that! Until next time!**


	17. Chapter 17: The Ghost Story

**Hello everyone! Welcome to part 17 of Freedom! I hope you guys enjoyed the last 2 chapters! I hope you all weren't too mad about Zuko's slight betrayal. But it's all good cause he would never hurt Katara. Too many Zutara feels. And get ready for some more feels soon. The moment you all have been waiting for. Soon. Haha as always, I do not own Avatar or its characters. On to the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 17: The Ghost Story**

The gang had traveled for another day before stopping in a dense forest, about a mile away from a coal mining town. None of the group could find the will to sleep, so they stayed up late, telling old ghost stories. Sokka of course volunteered to go first, telling a story that ended with saying, "Suddenly, they heard something down the hall in the dark. Oooh ... It came into the torchlight ... and they knew the blade of Wing Fung was haunted!" then pulling out his space sword and giving a yell. But the gang just stared at him, not scared by this story. Aang huffed, "I think I liked "the man with a sword for a hand better" he told them. Toph was equally unamused, "Water tribe slumber parties must stink". Katara's eyes light up, "No, wait! I've got one! And this is a true Southern Water Tribe story." She exclaimed. But Sokka didn't seem to find this enticing. He layed back against a tree stump and said, "Is this one of those "a friend of my cousin knew some guy that this happened to" stories?" he asked her.

Katara shook her head, "No, it happened to Mom". They all were quiet as Katara told her story.

"One winter when Mom was a girl, a snowstorm buried the whole village for weeks. A month later, Mom noticed she hadn't seen her friend Nini since the storm. So Mom and some others went to check on Nini's family. When they got there, no one was home. Just a fire flickering in the fireplace. While the men went out to search, Mom stayed in the house. When she was alone, she heard a voice." Katara impersonated the creepy little girl, "It's so cold and I can't get warm!" the whole group was silent and stiff as Katara spoke.

"Mom turned and saw Nini standing by the fire. She was blue like she was frozen. Mom ran outside for help, but when everyone came back, Nini was gone."

Sokka's voice shook as he spoke, "Where'd she go?" he asked, afraid to hear the answer. Katara shook her head, her knees huddled close to her chest, "No one knows. Nini's house stands empty to this day, but sometimes, people see smoke coming up from the chimney, like little Nini is still trying to get warm" the whole group noticeably shivered at the thought.

Toph jumped suddenly, "Wait Guys, did you hear that?!" she paused for a moment, listening, "I hear people under the mountain. And they're screaming". The gang was even more scared at this. Katara clung to Zuko, burying her face into his chest, and Aang clung to Katara. Zuko rubbed Katara's back a little, "I think that's enough of the ghost stories for one night" he told them. Sokka scoffed, "Yeah, nice try Toph" he said, hoping she was joking. Toph shook her head, "No. I'm serious. I hear something" they hadn't heard her be so serious in a while, which made them even more frightened.

Katara tried to shake it off, "You're probably just jumpy from all of the ghost stories" she told her younger earthbending friend. "It just… stopped" Toph finally said. It was eerily quiet for a moment.

"Hello children"

Everyone couldn't help but scream. Even Zuko audibly gasped at the surprise visitor. The elderly woman looked at the young group and spoke "Sorry to frighten you. My name is Hama. You children shouldn't be out in the forest by yourselves at night. I have an inn nearby. Why don't you come back there for some spiced tea and warm beds?" she offered them. Sokka gulped and nodded, "Yes please"

The woman named Hama lived in a small inn atop a hill overlooking the village. It was slightly set aside from the actual town but it was not too far where it would be hard to walk to the town center. The gang sat around a dinner table, helping themselves to the hot brewed tea and cakes laid across the table. "Thanks for letting us stay here tonight. You have a lovely inn" Katara complimented. Hama put a hand on her shoulder in a motherly way, "Aren't you sweet?" she walked over to her seat at the head of the table and sat down, "You know you should be careful. People have been disappearing in those woods you were camping in" Hama told them. "What do you mean "disappearing"?" Sokka asked. Hama looked at all of them, her gaze downcast, "When the moon turns full, people walk in and they don't come out" she said very eerily. But her mood quickly changed, "Who wants more tea?"

The group exchanged looks, slightly weary of staying in a town where disappearances in the woods were common. Hama gave the group a comforting smile, "Don't worry, you'll all be completely safe here. Why don't I show you to your rooms and you can get a good night's rest?" she suggested.

It was hard for everyone to sleep that night. It was the first time they had beds in a while, but they couldn't help but feel that the house and the woman who inhabited it was eerie. Hama woke them up all bright and early, saying that today would be a shopping day. Zuko decided to stay behind, saying he think he caught a case of the fire nation bug and he needed to rest. Katara watched him, but could not decide if he was lying or telling the truth. Of course, that had always been a mystery to her.

Hama and Katara decided to stay together while shopping. Aang, Toph and Sokka had run off somewhere else. "That Mr. Yao seems to have a thing for you. Maybe we should go back and see if he'll give us some free komodo sausages?" Katara reasoned. Hama immediately had a look of disappointment and seriousness on her face "You would have me use my feminine charms to take advantage of that poor man?" she asked, but her face instantly lightened a pause later, "I think you and I are going to get along swimmingly!" the woman said. Katara smiled at this. She hadn't had a motherly figure in a long time. She often imagined her and her mother like this, going shopping in the towns square, joking about boys, joking about anything really. It was nice to experience it, even if it was with someone else.

Meanwhile Aang, Sokka, and Toph wandered around the town when they overheard a conversation. "You won't have any ash bananas till next week?" a villager asked, slightly annoyed. The man behind the stall sighed and shook his head, "Well, I have to send the boy to Hing Wa Island to get them, and it's a two day trip." The shop owner told the man. The villager's face melted into one of understanding, "Oh, right. Tomorrow's the full moon." The villager nodded slightly. The shop keeper leaned in close, intent on no one else hearing his statement, "Exactly. I can't lose another delivery boy in the woods." He whispered solemnly.

Sokka scratched his chin, "People disappearing in the woods, weird stuff happening during full moons? This just reeks of Spirit World shenanigans" he held onto his sword, thinking of the possibilities for the disappearances. "I bet if we take a little walk around town, we'll find out what these people did to the environment to make the spirits mad" Aang suggested. Sokka seemed to like this plan, "And then you can sew up this little mystery lickety-split, Avatar style!" he exclaimed. Aang smiled proudly and stuck out his chest a little, "Helping people ... that's what I do."

 **Ta-Daaa! Hope you guys liked that chapter. I know there wasn't any zuko and Katara in this chapter but this chapter was leading up to an episode that defines katara's character and it couldn't be left out. Until next time!**


	18. Chapter 18: The Comb

**Hello everyone! Welcome to chapter 18 of Freedom! Four chapters in 2 days?! Yeah you're seeing right. I'm just loving this story recently again so I got in a writing mood. Don't worry Day's of Future's Past fans. That story will be up soon as well. Until then, I do not own Avatar or its characters. On to the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 18: The Comb**

Zuko sat in his bedroom. He wanted to stay back to check the place out. Ever since they arrived, he felt eerie about this place. Something wasn't completely right. He got up from his bed and went down the hall. He knew most of the rooms already. The woman showed them around a little bit, only enough to show them the bathroom and their bedrooms. He looked an old cabinet, and peeked inside. He gasped at what he saw. There were several puppets, dressed as fire nation villagers.

His mind immediately went to the worst. She was a mass murderer and these were her victims. She stole dolls from little children. Then he went to the normal and plausible answers. Maybe she just had hobby. Maybe she had a son or daughter who they used to belong to. He closed the door and walked up the stairs, looking for more evidence. The stairs lead to a locked door. Zuko tried to pick the lock, but it wouldn't budge. He walked back to his room, trying to understand why a woman who supposedly lives alone has puppets and a locked door.

The group eventually met back up and headed towards the inn. Hama gave her supplies to Katara, saying "Why don't you take all those things back to the inn? I just have to run a couple more errands. I'll be back in a little while." She told the teens. Katara nodded appreciatively. Sokka looked at her, more skeptical, "This is a mysterious little town you have here." He watched the woman for her reaction. Hama looked at him, a mysterious smirk on her face, "Mysterious town for mysterious children." She smiled creepily and left them at the bottom of the hill.

The gang began to unpack groceries and put them in their respective cupboards, "That Hama seems a little strange. Like she knows something, or she's hiding something." Sokka suggested, setting down his basket. Katara shook her head, shaking off his comment, "That's ridiculous. She's a nice woman who took us in and gave us a place to stay. She kinda reminds me of Gran-Gran." She said. Zuko heard the group moving around in the kitchen, and walked into the room.

Sokka was pondering something, "But what did she mean by that comment, "mysterious children"?" he asked looking towards Katara. But Katara just rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips, seeing this talk of nothing but foolishness, "Gee, I don't know. Maybe because she found four strange kids camping in the woods at night? Isn't that a little mysterious?" she brought up a good point. Zuko stepped forward, "You guys gotta see this"

Zuko lead his friends to the hallway and first showed them the strange puppets. "Zuko! You can't just snoop around someone's house!" Katara scolded. He opened the cabinet. Sokka immediately jumped and pulled out his sword. "Okay. That's pretty creepy" Aang confessed. "So she's got a hobby. There's nothing weird about that." Katara suggested, trying to get them to lay off the old woman, "Guys! You've looked enough!" she scolded again. But Zuko pressed on, "That's not all" he walked up the stairs to the oak door and jiggled the handle. Sokka turned to Katara, "Just an ordinary puppet-loving innkeeper, huh? Well then why does she have a locked door up here?" he asked her. Katara crossed her arms, annoyed, "Probably to keep people like you from snooping through her stuff!" but Sokka didn't listen. He peered through the peephole and looked around, "It's empty, except for a little chest." He told the group. Toph looked up, "Maybe it's treasure!" she said, either excitedly or sarcastically. It was unclear to the group how she meant the statement. Sokka picked up his sword and started to pick the lock. After a moment, he heard a click and opened the door.

Zuko walked to the chest and tried to pry it open, but it wouldn't budge. "There's gotta be a key around here somewhere" Sokka suggested. Toph took the chest from Zuko's hands and took off her space metal bracelet, trying to conform the stone to that of a key that would get the lock. "Guys, I don't know about this" Aang said nervously. Katara threw her hands up, defeated, "This is crazy! I'm leaving!" she told them, starting to walk towards the door. Then they heard a click of the lock of the box. Everyone ran to peer over Toph's shoulder and see what was inside.

"I'll tell you what's in the box."

They all jumped and gasped, surprised and embarrassed by Hama's presence. She took the box and opened it, pulling out

"An old hair comb?" Sokka wondered, partly why she had it locked in a room and in a box and why it was so important to her. Hama looked back at them.

"It's my greatest treasure. It's the last thing I own from growing up in the Southern Water Tribe."

"You're from the Southern Water Tribe?" Katara said stunned. Hama put the comb back in the box and said, "Just like you". The gang was silent for a moment, "How did you know?" Katara asked her. Hama shrugged nonchalantly, "I heard you talking around your campfire" she told them. "But why didn't you tell us?" Sokka asked her, astonished by the woman from his homeland. Hama explained, "I wanted to surprise you! I bought all this food today so I could fix you a big Water Tribe dinner. Of course, I can't get all the ingredients I need here, but ocean kumquats are a lot like sea prunes if you stew them long enough". "Great…" Aang said, noncommitting.

Katara had helped the woman with supper for the group. But when she went to wash up before the meal, Zuko cut her off, "Can I talk to you?" he asked her. Katara looked at him, curious, but others obliged. They walked to the bathroom and Zuko shut the door behind them. "What's wrong Zuko?" Katara asked. Zuko let a breath, "I know how you're going to react to this… And you won't like what I'm about to say… But I don't think we should stay here much longer. I don't trust that woman" he crossed his arms, waiting for the argument. Katara looked at him, fuming, "Are you still on about this? She's a nice lady! Don't abuse her hospitality!" she told him. But Zuko wouldn't listen to her, "I have a bad feeling about this place. I have since we stepped in here. I get that she's from your home but" Katara stuck a finger in his chest, cutting him off. "You have no idea what it's like to be the only bender of your kind. You have no idea what's it's like to be the only one of your kind" she argued.

Zuko let out a breath, trying to keep his temper, "Actually. I don't see any other fire nation princes with over bearing fathers running around" it still hurt to talk about his father, because he could think of a lot of better ways to describe his father, better then over bearing. Katara laughed, but not because what he said was funny, "I'm sorry your royal life was so tragic, your Highness. But not everyone in this world is out to get people. Only fire benders do that!" she could tell she struck a nerve because he was quiet after that.

"Fine… Forget it" Zuko said, stalking away, into his bedroom and not coming out for the rest of the night.

 **Ta-Daaa! Hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! Zuko just keeps screwing up doesn't he? But Katara is just too blind to see that he's trying to protect her. When will she find out his feelings for her? You're gonna have to wait to find out! Until next time!**


	19. Chapter 19: The Training

**Hello everyone! Welcome to part 19 of Freedom! Which is only 1 chapter away from the big 20 chapters, which will announce something super cool for fans of this story! I want to thank you all for reading this story. It was my first one on here! I'm loving where it's going and I'm super excited for you guys to see! Anyway, I do not own Avatar or its characters. On to the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 19: The Training**

Katara sat down at the dinner table, trying not to let her argument with Zuko affect her mood. The group passed dishes around the table, enjoying the company of each other and their chance to relax before their battle coming up. Katara couldn't help but smile when she saw Aang whisper to Toph, "I'd steer clear of the sea prunes" he told the blind girl. Toph looked at her plate, "I thought they were ocean kumquats" she said thoughtfully. Aang couldn't help but make a small face of displeasure, "Close enough" he told her.

Hama sat at the head of the table, "Who wants five flavor soup?" she asked. Everyone raised their hands appreciatively. Suddenly, the woman put her hand over the bowl and flicked her wrist, the water flying into the bowls of the gang. Katara looked at her, surprised, "You're a water bender!" she clasped her hands together, delighted, "I've never met another water bender from our tribe!"

Hama looked down sadly, "That's because the Fire Nation wiped them all out. I was the last one…" she told them. Katara and Sokka looked at the woman in pity, knowing the destructions of the fire nation. "So how did you end up out here?" Sokka asked. Hama's lip curled in anger, "I was stolen from my home." She began to explain the story.

"It was over sixty years ago when the raids started. They came again and again, each time rounding up more of our water benders and taking them captive. We did our best to hold them off, but our numbers dwindled as the raids continued. Finally, I too was captured. I was led away in chains. The last water bender of the Southern Water Tribe. They put us in terrible prisons here in the Fire Nation. I was the only one who managed to escape."

"How did you get away? And why did you stay in the Fire Nation?" Sokka asked the woman after listening to her story. But Hama shook her head, looking away, "I'm sorry. It's too painful to talk about anymore". Katara put her hands on the woman's shoulders, "We completely understand. We lost our mother in a raid." Katara looked down, slightly sad about talking about it. Hama looked at her, putting her hands onto top of hers, "Oh, you poor things."

Katara sat back in her chair, "I can't tell you what it means to meet you. It's an honor. You're a hero." She looked at the woman, her voice full of pride and astonishment. Hama smiled at her, "I never thought I'd meet another Southern water bender. I'd like to teach you what I know so you can carry on the Southern tradition when I'm gone". Katara's eyes light up at this statement, "Yes! Yes, of course! To learn about my heritage, it would mean everything to me"

The next morning, Hama and Katara left the inn and headed to a field of fire lilies where they wouldn't be caught by the villagers. Hama began to speak, "Growing up in the South Pole, water benders are totally at home surrounded by snow and ice and seas. But as you probably noticed on your travels, that isn't the case wherever you go" she explained. Katara agreed quickly, "I know! When we were stranded in the desert, I felt like there was almost nothing I could do".

Hama turned to her, "That's why you have to learn to control water wherever it exists". Katara nodded again, "I've even used my own sweat for water bending" she told the old woman. Hama smiled over at her, "That's very resourceful, Katara. You're thinking like a true master. But did you know you could even pull water out of thin air?" with that she made a quick movement with her right arm, manipulating the water vapor in the air and liquefying it. The water coated her finger tips. Katara watched the woman in amazement. Hama looked at her, "You have got to keep an open mind, Katara" she froze the water around her fingers, "There's water in places you never think about." She then took the water spears and threw them at a tree nearby.

They trained nearly all morning. During a break, Katara turned to look across the field. "Wow, these flowers are beautiful" she mentioned. "They're called fire lilies." Hama explained, "They only bloom a few weeks a year, but they're one of my favorite things about living here. And like all plants and all living things, they're filled with water." She made a movement with her arm and used the water she collected from the flowers to cut a rock straight through. But it automatically killed the flowers. Katara clapped a little, smiling, "That was incredible!" her face fell a little when she looked at the dead flowers, "It's a shame about the lilies, though." Katara said.

Hama didn't seem to be bother by this however, "They're just flowers. When you're a water bender in a strange land, you do what you must to survive" she looked at Katara seriously, "Tonight I'll teach you the ultimate technique of water bending. It can only be done during the full moon, when your bending is at its peak". Katara looked at her teacher confused and cautious, "But isn't that dangerous? I thought people have been disappearing around here during the full moon" she inquired. Hama chuckled a little, walking away, "Oh, Katara. Two master waterbenders beneath a full moon? I don't think we have anything to worry about."

Meanwhile, Aang, Toph, Sokka and Zuko wandered about the landscape surrounding the village, trying to uncover any signs of disruption that would anger the spirits. But it was pristine. There were no signs of rivers being polluted or trees being cut done. "This has got to be the nicest natural setting in the Fire Nation. I don't see anything that would make a spirit mad around here." Aang said, clearly the spirit expert. Toph shrugged, "Maybe the Moon Spirit just turned mean" she suggested. Sokka turned her, angry at this solution, "The Moon Spirit is a gentle, loving lady. She rules the sky with compassion and ... lunar goodness!" he exclaimed, getting in her face, even though she didn't react.

Aang ignored their quarrel and walked to a villager who happened to be walking past, "Excuse me, sir. Can you tell us anything about the spirit that's been stealing people?" he asked. The villager looked up at the disguised Avatar, "Only one man ever saw it and lived and that's Old Man Ding" he told them. Zuko walked over to their conversation, "Where does Old Man Ding live?" she asked. The villager looked at the fire bender then Aang, "He lives in the town square. It's the house with boarded up windows" with that he walked away.

Later that day, the moon was just beginning to rise, the gang walked to Old Man Ding's house to try and figure out what happened to the missing people and where they might be. When they walked up, the man was boarding up his windows, hammering nails into the siding of his house. "Old Man Ding?" Aang spoke up first. Ding looked up, "Huh?" he accidently kept hammering when he looked up and hammered his thumb, "w, dang blame it! What? Can't you see I'm busy? Got a full moon rising. And why does everyone call me that? I'm not that old!" he tried to list up the plank but failed to do so. The old man let out a breath, "Well, I'm young at heart."

Sokka and Zuko both walked forward and listed the board, taking the hammer and nails and beginning to finish boarding up the window. "Not ready to get snapped up by some moon monster yet at least." Old Man Ding said, cautiously. Aang spoke up, "We wanted to ask you about that. Did you get a good look at the spirit that took you?" he asked him.

Old Man Ding shook his head, "Didn't see no spirit" he told then, then began to explain his story, "Just felt something come over me, like I was possessed. Forced me to start walking toward the mountain. I tried to fight it, but I couldn't control my own limbs. It just about had me into a cave up there. And I looked up at the moon for what I thought would be my last glimpse of light. But then the sun started to rise and I got control of myself again! I just high-tailed it away from that mountain as quick as I could!" he animated his story as he talked.

Sokka frowned, "Why would a spirit want to take people to a mountain?"

Toph gasped, "Oh no! I did hear people screaming under the mountain. The missing villagers must still be there!"

 **Ta-Daaa! Hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! Next chapter is a big chapter for Zuko and Katara! So look forward to that! Plus it's the big 20 chapters! That's like a book lol Until next time!**


	20. Chapter 20: The Bloodbender

**Hello everyone! Welcome to the big 20** **th** **chapter of Freedom! First of all, I want to thank you all for coming this far with me. I love writing this story. Don't worry. It's not anywhere near over but I did promise big news for you all. But you're gonna have to wait until the end for that. As always, I do not own Avatar or its characters. Btw this chapter may be a little graphic to some people so fair warning. On to the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 20: The Bloodbender**

The gang minus Katara ran to the mountain to free the trapped villagers. Toph's feet lead them to the mouth of a cave. "This is the place" they walked in, but it was very dark. Aang, Sokka and Zuko could barely see a foot in front of them. "Zuko can you light the way?" Sokka asked. Toph quickly grabbed Zuko's hand, "No!" they all looked at her confused. Toph sniffed, "Smell that?" they all sniffed and Zuko answered their question, "Gas". Sokka waved his hand in front of his face, trying to see it, "I can't see anything down there". Toph took Sokka's hand, who took Aang's hand, "That's why you have me. Let's go!"

The dark passageway lead to a solid metal door. Using metal bending, Toph broke it down. They opened up on another passageway, this one with torches lighting it up. After they turn the corner, they see several villagers chained to the walls, some dead on the floor, their bodies decaying. A prisoner saw the group and let out a yell in relief, "We're saved!" he yelled. Toph started going to the prisoners and undoing their shackles, helping them onto the floor. Zuko saw a door in the back and walked through it. It was even worse than the main room. There was blood and dead bodies everywhere. There were archaic machines that looked to be used for torture. It was sickening. He quickly left the room, not wanting to see any more.

"Spirits don't make prisons like this" Zuko said, "Who did this to you?" he asked a villager that was in not so bad shape, kneeling in front of him. He must have only come to the cell not to long before they came. The prisoner shook his head, "It was no spirit. It was a witch!" he told Zuko. Sokka looked up at this, "A witch? What do you mean?" he asked confused. The villager looked up at Sokka, "She seems like a normal old woman, but she controls people like some dark puppet master!" he shook from fright. Zuko's eyes widened.

"Hama"

"She's with Katara!" Aang yelled. Zuko immediately got up and starting running. He ran from the mountain and started searching for Katara, Sokka not far behind. He just hoped he could get to her before anything bad happened.

Meanwhile, Hama had lead Katara far into the woods. Baking in the moonlight, "Can you feel the power the full moon brings?" she breathed deeply through her nose, stretching arms enough to make her veins pop out. Katara looked at her in disgust as the woman spoke, "For generations it has blessed water benders with its glow, allowing us to do incredible things! I've never felt more alive…"

They stood in silence for a moment, before Hama turned towards her. "What I'm about to show you, I discovered in that wretched Fire Nation prison." She glared at the ground menacingly. Then she began to explain.

"The guards were always very careful to keep any water away from us. They piped in dry air and had us suspended away from the ground. Before giving us any water, they would bind our hands and feet so we couldn't bend. Any sign of trouble was met with cruel retribution. And yet each month, I felt the full moon enriching me with its energy. There had to be something I could do to escape. Then I realized that where there is life, there is water. The rats that scurried across the floor of my cage were nothing more than skins filled with liquid and I passed years developing the skill that would lead to my escape."

"Blood bending."

Katara looked at the woman, she thought as a teacher, frightened. Hama spoke again after a pause, "Controlling the water in another body, enforcing your own will over theirs. Once I had mastered the rats, I was ready for the men. And during the next full moon, I walked free for the first time in decades. My cell unlocked by the very guards assigned to keep me in. Once you perfect this technique, you can control anything or…" she looked at Katara out of the corner of her eye, "Anyone"

Katara looked down, wringing her hands, thinking as she spoke, "But ... to reach inside someone and control them?" she looked to the side, unsure, "I don't know if I want that kind of power". Hama turned to her again, "The choice is not yours. The power exists. And it's your duty to use the gifts you've been given to win this war. Katara, they tried to wipe us out, our entire culture, your mother!" she reminded the young girl, even when she remembered it clearly. Katara looked down, upset, "I know…"

Hama kept pressuring her, trying to convince her, "Then you should understand what I'm talking about! We're the last two water benders of the Southern Tribe. We have to fight these people whenever we can, wherever they are, with any means necessary!" she exclaimed.

Katara looked up, finally realizing. It was her. She was the one who was hurting the town. She was hurting people who come into the forest during a full moon. "It's you" she said, angrily, "You're the one who's been making people disappear during the full moons!" she yelled. Hama looked at her, her eyes downcast, "They threw me in prison to rot, along with my brothers and sisters! They deserve the same! You must carry on my work!" the woman said evilly. Katara stood her ground, getting into a position to water bend, "I won't! I won't use blood bending and I won't allow you to keep terrorizing this town!"

Her hand fought against her. It twisted to one side. Katara tried to fight it but failed. Hama controlled her, "You should've learned the technique before you turned against me!" the woman contorted her into an uncomfortable position, "It's impossible to fight your way out of my grip! I control every muscle, every vein in your body". Katara was thrown from side to side and twisted about. Hama positioned Katara right in front of her and pushed her to her knees in front of her, almost like she was bowing to her.

Katara looked into the grass as tears fell, but looked up determined. "You're not the only one who draws power from the moon!" Katara got up and assumed a fighting position, "My bending is more powerful than yours, Hama. Your technique is useless on me!"

They began to fight. Katara pulled a ring of water around her waist and sent a stream of water towards Hama, who stopped it and sent it back to Katara. Katara looked up at the woman, barely winded. In a swift spinning motion, Katara sent the stream toward Hama again, who drew water from nearby trees, deflecting the attack and sending a highly pressurized water jet at her. Katara uses her hands to block the attack, disintegrating the water into droplets. Hama was shocked at her pupil's bending prowess. It made her distracted just long enough for Katara to get a hit in, knocking her to the ground.

"Katara!" she turned around and Zuko was looking at her scared. He took up a bending position, "Give up Hama. You're outnumbered" he told the old woman. Hama slowly stood, "No… You've outnumbered yourselves." She took control of Zuko. Every ounce of concentration Zuko took to fight against it was used against him. Before he knew it, he was running at Katara, Dao swords in hand. She deflected him with an attack, clearly meant not to hurt him but keep him at bay. She blasted him into a tree, yelling, "Sorry Zuko!" as she went. Katara froze his hand to a tree, hoping that would keep him from hurting her.

Hama spoke, sinisterly, "Don't hurt your friend Katara! And don't let them hurt themselves" she took control of Zuko's bending, using his fire to melt the water around his hand. "Prince Zuko was it? I remember you had a scar" the woman recalled, "I don't suppose you would like another one"

Zuko's hand lit up, red from the heat. It went towards his face, his eyes widening. The woman was going to make him give himself a scar. "No!" Katara yelled. Just before his hand touched his face, it stopped. Zuko looked up, realizing he had control of himself again. Hama was stiff with her hands to her sides. Katara forced her to the ground. But Hama chuckled evilly, "My work is done" she looked up with just her eyes, "Congratulations, Katara. You're a blood bender"

Katara had run off after the villagers arrived to lock Hama up. The group wanted to give her her space. But after an hour, Zuko went looking for her and found her by the stream, hugging her knees close to her chest. He sat next to her, not saying anything for a while. They simply just enjoyed the comfortable silence between them.

Eventually Zuko spoke up, "We found the villagers" she looked over at him. He continued, "It was awful… They were chained like animals… And there was blood and bodies and" he stopped talking, unable to continue. Katara placed her hand on top of his, that was curled into a fist.

"Thank you Katara… For saving me…" Zuko smiled comfortingly at her. Katara couldn't help but smile back. But the smile quickly faded when she remembered what she had done. "I'm a monster…" she whispered, mostly to herself. Zuko shook his head profusely, "No. No, you're not". He took her face in his hands but she still avoided his gaze.

"Look at me" Zuko practically pleaded. Katara looked at him, tears in her eyes. He wiped them away with his thumbs, "You are not a monster. You are the most kind, loving, compassionate person I have ever met. If you're a monster… Then I must be the devil… But you taught me to be good… You make me want to be good Katara"

Katara looked at him, slightly shocked by his words. "You make me want to be good…" he repeated. They sat, locked in each other's gaze for a moment. Zuko leaned in slightly, still holding her face in his hands, as if she would crumble beneath his fingers. Katara's breath hitched slightly, unsure.

Then their lips touched and all of their uncertainty was gone. The kiss was slow and delicate, but yet full of the passion. It was like their elements clashed. His fire and her water made a steam that hide all of the pain and war of their outside world. Right there, on the river bank was their slice of forever. Even if it only lasted until they both ran out of breath. They looked at each other, slightly out of breath.

Katara looked into his golden eyes, forgetting the world. But as soon as it was over, it all came flooding back. Aang. Sokka. Fire Nation. Ozai.

War.

She stood, "They'll be expecting us back". With that she walked away from him, a small tear falling in her wake.

 **Ta-Daaa! Hope you guys liked that extra-long chapter! I hope you guys liked what I changed about this chapter. It was much more dramatic if blood bending can also control a fire bender's inner fire. Cause Zuko almost got his scar back but Katara saved him. But anyways, until next time!**


	21. Chapter 21: The Invasion Part 1

**Hello everyone! Welcome to chapter 21 of Freedom! Hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter! It was actually a lot of fun to write. I decided to give you guys a bit of a longer chapter for the big 20 chapters. How did you guys like the kiss? I wanted it to be a big build up. But anyways, I do not own Avatar or its characters. On to the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 21: The Invasion Part 1**

The group traveled to Chameleon Bay to meet up with the invasion group. Katara ignored Zuko and the rest of the group for the whole trip, not wanting to talk about the kiss or her blood bending. She thought about if she would use it if she had to. What if Aang was going to lose? Would she do it save him? She wasn't even going to be there. That made her even more nervous. She was going to run to the castle as quickly as she could to meet him there. But they needed her in the subs. She was worried about the two men and she couldn't help either of them.

Sokka tried to go over the invasion plan. He seemed especially nervous as he walked onto the stage. It was his plan so he wanted to be the one to explain IT. But he wasn't one for presentations. "Good morning everyone. Ahh!" he tripped as he walked onstage, "Umm ... so, as you know, today, we're invading the Fire Nation! I mean I know you know that because otherwise why else would you be here?" Sokka laughed nervously, "Uh anyway…" he dropped his scrolls and picked them up quickly. Sokka placed them on the board and began to try to explain, "The Fire Lord's palace is here… Uh nope, uh wait, uh wait, uh wait, it's here" he flipped through the pages when he realized he was on the wrong page. "And uh, there's an eclipse today and Aang's gonna fight the Fire Lord and the firebenders won't have any fire to use so that's good for us! And… Um…"

Sokka let out a breath and began again, "I'm sorry let me start at the beginning" he paused then he began to speak very fast, "Katara and I discovered Aang frozen in an iceberg, now I didn't like Aang at first but grew to love him over time, then we went to the Southern Air Temple where Aang used to live and then we met Suki, who's a Kyoshi warrior. She dressed me like a woman and then she kissed me, and then Aang's friend was a crazy old king and…" he continued to ramble on.

Aang mumbled over to Katara, "Wow, when he says the beginning he means the beginning beginning" but Katara merely glanced at him, not responding. Hakoda quickly took over for his blubbering son. He spoke like a true hero and leader.

Before they knew it, they approached the Great Gates of Azulon. They all stood with bated breath if the gates would let them pass. But as they approached, the nets went up, sounding off an alarm and starting on fire. The groups went below deck, climbing into the subs and taking off as they heard the fire nation soldiers climbing aboard their ship. But by the time they reached the bottom of the boat, they were gone.

Zuko went to Katara before they left to ask if she would share a boat/sub with him. She quickly ran away when she saw him. Zuko was beginning to feel dejected over Katara's rejections. Did she not want to talk to him? Did he hurt her? If he did, then how? He didn't think caring about someone and kissing them was a crime. Did she not like him? Was she still scared of him? Did she not trust him? He never thought someone like her would trust him and it seemed like she did a while ago. She did save him from himself. What happened now?

When they came up for air, they all prepared to say goodbye to Zuko and Aang, sharing a large group hug with the gang. "So this is it huh?" Aang said, looking slightly nervous. "Are you ready for the Fire Nation to know the Avatar is alive?" Sokka asked, not showing any of Aang's nervousness. The older boy only had determination on his face. Aang nodded, almost as if Sokka gave him some confidence, "I'm ready". Toph gave him one of her friendly punches, "I hope you kick some serious Fire Lord butt, Twinkle Toes". Sokka and Toph walked back into the subs on Hakoda's command.

Zuko looked back at Katara and Aang. Katara looked between them, looking at the two boys she cared about so much. All her life, until Aang came along, she thought as long as she had her brother, she would be okay. It was all she needed. But in more ways then one, Aang's arrival taught her how much she needed him. And Zuko. But she still couldn't seem to say anything.

"I'll leave you two…" Zuko said, walking away, having one of the water benders help him on Appa. Katara watched after him, seeing the hurt look on his face and wishing she could erase it but not knowing how.

"Katara, I – "

"Aang, I – "

"You go first" Aang said, letting her talk. She began, "We've been through so many things together, and I've seen you grow up so much. You're not that little goofy kid I found in the iceberg anymore… I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm really proud of you" Aang blushed at this statement.

He looked down for a second, thinking, "Everything is going to be different after today isn't it?" he said, slightly upset. Katara nodded a little, "Yes… It is"

"What if… What if I don't come back?" Aang asked but Katara immediately shut down this idea. "Aang, don't say that. Of course you'll"

But she never got to finish her sentence. Aang firmly placed his lips over hers. The kiss wasn't like with Zuko. It was awkward and forced. Katara was so surprised she barely had time to even think about reciprocating before he pulled away. They looked at each other for a moment, unsure of what to say, the blush evident on both of their cheeks.

Aang jumped over to Appa's saddle. Katara then noticed Zuko who was sitting in Appa's saddle. His eyes bearing into her soul, full of pain and hurt. But they quickly turned hard as stone and looked away.

Zuko tried not to watch. He really did. But he couldn't help but look up when he didn't hear the buzz of their voices. He looked up to see their mouths plastered against eachother. His face immediately fell. So that was why she was ignoring him. She loved him. All along, she loved him. It made sense. She found him. They traveled together.

He just thought…

Zuko's face turned cold. He had a mission to accomplish. He had to find his Uncle and save him. He needed his uncle. He was truly the only person who cared for him. He was family.

Aang jumped onto Appa's saddle, "Ready?" he asked. Zuko didn't say anything. He simply nodded and watched as the subs got smaller.

 **Ta-Daaa! Poor Zuko. You didn't think it would be that easy did ya? Thank you all for reading! Until next time!**


	22. Chapter 22: The Invasion Part 2

**Hello everyone! Welcome to part 22 of Freedom! Today is a really exciting chapter! It's the actual invasion! Some things will change from the actual show. You'll just have to wait and see what. So let's get into it! As always, I do not own Avatar or its characters. On to the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 22: The Invasion Part 2**

Zuko sat on the back of Appa, looking straight ahead, trying his best to clear his mind before the battle. Aang was also silent, trying to take in what he was also about to do. He would face the Fire Lord. His destiny was directly in front of him and he had to face it head on. He had to do it alone because it was his destiny alone.

When the boys landed, they told Appa to go help the fleet how he could. He was covered in armor so he wouldn't be hurt by the fire blasts. He could at least carry the wounded soldiers to safety if possible. Zuko silently lead Aang into the capital city, keeping his hood up to avoid the gaze of people passing by. Yes, he didn't have his scar anymore. But people here in his hometown were more likely to recognize his face then the small towns throughout their journey.

Zuko wondered to himself, was this the end? He had never had more of a family then he did when he traveled with the group. He slowly started to feel like one of the gang and it would be over as soon as it began. He wondered what he would do after the war. Would he settle down in the earth kingdom? Or the fire nation? The throne seemed like a dream of his for so long but now that he may get it at the end of this war if the Fire Lord was defeated, it was the last thing he wanted. Only one other question came to mind.

Would Katara stay with him after the war? He dashed this dream as it began. He could see it however. Him and Katara traveling through the fire nation or him showing her the palace. Or living in the earth kingdom together. Or maybe they could live on Ember Island. But he knew she wouldn't want that. He figured she would stay with Aang traveling around the world. Or living in the air temples. Zuko shook his head to stop thinking about Katara. He needed to focus on the task at hand.

Zuko gave Aang silent directions to the palace. Just outside the palace was a cave carved into a mountain. Zuko beckoned Aang forward, putting a finger to his own lip to tell him to be quiet. Zuko made a small flame on his two fingers and lit a single candle in the middle of the cave. This action had a spiral effect that made a wall in the cave collapse and open up.

There was no turning back.

They could see land from their periscopes. There was no turning back at this point. The earth benders got into their tanks, ready for action. The subs rose from the surface, alarms sounding off as they did so.

The bottom of the subs opened up, letting the tanks roll out and onto the pavement. They were immediately with fire, as the eclipse had not yet begun. But the earth benders were well protected. They fought from inside the tanks, crushing fire nation tanks and taking down soldiers.

Zuko heard the alarms sounding from the beach and turned to Aang. His expression told the young boy that they had to hurry. They began to move quickly through the tunnel into the palace.

The battlements on the outside were the invaders biggest worry. "Sokka!" Hakoda yelled, "We have to take out those battlements! It's our only chance". Sokka, Katara, and their father all jumped on Appa, flying to each battlement and taking them out one by one until there was two left. "You two take out that battlement" the father said to his children, "I got this one. Watch each other's backs!" with that he ran into the battlement.

Katara and Sokka had no issues with their battlement. There was only 2 soldiers inside and a cannon. Once the soldiers were down, they destroyed the cannon and went to help their father. But when they went inside, their father was laying on the ground, clearly injured severely. "Dad!" the brother and sister yelled. They kneeled by his side. Katara used as much water as she could to heal him, "Is that better?" she asked him. Hakoda tried to sit up but cried out in pain, "I need to get back to the troops" he told his daughter. But Katara refused, "No. You're hurt badly. We need Appa to get you out of here"

"Everyone is counting on me to lead this mission Katara" Hakoda told her, "I won't let them down". Katara went to counter again but Sokka spoke up, "I'll lead them. I'll lead the mission".

"Don't be crazy Sokka" Katara told him, surprised by his muster. "Maybe I am a little crazy but the eclipse is about to start and we need to be at that volcano when it does" Sokka stood proudly. Hakoda looked up at Sokka, "I'm proud of you son".

Zuko lead Aang to the underground bunker. There were several levels beneath the palace. Below the kitchens and the servant's rooms was a bunker, put together to keep the Fire Lord and his family safe. Zuko had to go in there once when a group of earth kingdom assassins tried to attack the palace when he was young. He remembered his mother holding him while he was scared. He also remembered his father telling him to suck it up and the group was a bunch of worthless heathens that would never succeed.

When they were outside the bunker, they both looked at each other for a moment. Zuko gave the Avatar a nod of reassurance, to which the Avatar returned. Zuko ran off into another part of the bunker, to which he knew would lead to the prisons.

Aang busted down the door to the bunker and was surprised to see, not the Fire Lord but Azula staring back at him. He took a fighting stance, glaring at the girl, "Where is the Fire Lord?"

Meanwhile Zuko moved his way, stealthily through the bunker. He eventually found his way to the prison. He climbed a few sets of stairs, searching. He saw several prisoners; some he may have recognized if he took the time to think about it. But he was too preoccupied.

He reached his Uncle's cell and was shocked by what he saw. The bars were completely broke through and the warden was laying on the ground. Zuko went to him and grabbed him by the shirt collar, "Where is my Uncle?" he asked. The warden shook his head, "He's gone. He busted himself out. I've never seen anything like it, he was like a one-man army!" Zuko swore to himself and got up, running from the building to rejoin his friends.

Outside the palace, the battle was in full swing. Earth benders were creating landslides to push the fire benders back. Water benders were flooding their tanks. The fire nation troops had no choice but to retreat. "The eclipse is starting!" Sokka yelled, "Put on your googles!" the rebel troops put on their protective eye gear supplied to them. If one stared at the eclipse for even a second, they could risk damaging their eyesight, which could be used to the fire benders advantage. With no fire bending power, the troops scattered, leaving a almost clear path towards the palace.

"There it is: The Fire Nation Royal Palace. We've come so far" Hakoda said happily. But Katara couldn't help but feel doubtful, "It's not over yet…"

 **Hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! Sorry for such a long wait. I started college this September and its been taking up a lot of my time! Hopefully I will be able to continue this more often again. Thanks for reading! Until next time!**


	23. Chapter 23: The Invasion Part 3

**Hello everyone! Welcome to chapter 23 of Freedom! First off, I'm so sorry for such a long wait again. Life has been crazy with college and my life lately. I want to get back into writing and get more of a steady schedule again. I want to thank you all for sticking through this story and reading it. You guys are the reason I love writing. As always, I do not own Avatar or its characters. On to the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 23: The Invasion Part 3**

Aang stood in front of Azula in his battle stance. Azula laid lazily over the throne, looking at her nails. "I've known about your invasion plans for months" she spoke, looking at him, smirking. Aang only let the look of surprise show for a few moments before his face hardened once again, "Where is the Fire Lord?"

Azula sighed and got up, "I see my plan to put you all against my brother didn't work. He didn't need to tell me anything. It seems he's not loyal to anyone anymore… Shame" she took a few steps in front of him, but Aang refused to back down.

"Zuko is more loyal then you will ever be. He's loyal to his people. To this world. You will only be loyal to yourself" Aang glared at her, not relaxing for a second. He was not naïve to Azula's tricks. He knew how sneaky she was.

This struck a nerve with Azula, not that she would let it show. How dare he say she was not loyal? She was trying to make this world better. For it to reign in fire. She was loyal to her people. To her father and his goals. The Avatar was just an obstacle in the way of power.

Azula began to start to circle around him. But Aang never let her behind his back, keeping his eyes on her. "I brought back some friends from Ba Sing Se. I'm sure you recognize them." Azula smirked, crossing her arms.

Suddenly three Dai Li agents dropped from the ceiling, surrounding Aang.

At the battle field, Toph, Sokka, and Katara had reconnected. "He should be back by now" Katara spoke, unsure if she was talking about Aang or Zuko. Most of the battle they were on her brain. Aang because he was facing the Fire Lord. Zuko because he asked for her help and she refused. Now she was with neither of them and stuck worrying about them.

"We don't know what kind of guards the Fire Lord has, especially with the eclipse. But someone should go up the palace and see if he needs back up." Sokka replied. Katara nodded, about ready to volunteer to take Appa and go.

Zuko came running up to the group, "Where's Aang?" he asked them. Katara turned and saw him, letting out a breath. It made her so relieved to see him safe. All she wanted was to hold him close, to never let him go, to say how worried she was. But such luxuries are not available in battle.

The group took notice of the fact that the fire bender had reentered the battle alone. Katara gave him a questioning look, but Zuko simply shook his head. That was all that needed to be said. Iroh wasn't there. There was a moment of silence for the old man, all of them hoping he was okay. But that was all that could be done for the man.

"We don't know where Aang is. He hasn't come back yet" Toph spoke. Zuko nodded, "I'm going up to the palace. He may need back up" Katara nodded, "Me too" she spoke. Sokka shook his head, "You should stay here and help the water benders get up the hill and help Dad"

But Hakoda spoke up, "Your sister has done a wonderful job of helping me. Now she should go help the Avatar" he nodded towards his daughter, understanding how she felt. Katara gave him a smile in gratitude.

Zuko nodded, "Then let's get moving. We'll see you guys soon" he climbed onto Appa's head, Katara following suit.

Zuko didn't speak during the ride to the palace. Katara didn't question the man's silence, taking it as mourning for the Uncle he had lost. She didn't know what had happened to the old man or what Zuko found. That was a question she would ask at a better time. But she knew that his mission wasn't successful. That pained her. If only she had gone with him… Maybe they could have gotten there earlier. The old man meant as much to her as Zuko did, for he also helped her and Aang make it out alive. But now she had to help Aang. That was what was most important right now.

Aang fought against the Dai Li with all his might. For every block he made, 4 more came his way. He wasn't sure how much longer he could last. He had to make the decision. Stay and face possible capture and or death. Or flee and live to see another day.

He took one last look at the Dai Li, still as strong as ever. With that, he made his decision. He sent a large blast towards the crowd of Dai Li, sending then backward. He used his water pouch and fire bending to create a steam around him and the room. By the time the steam cleared, he was gone.

Katara and Zuko were running through the underground passages. They had to find Aang before… Before it was too late. Zuko checked around every corner as they ran. It wasn't too long before

"Katara! Zuko!"

They basically ran into Aang themselves. Katara ran up and gave Aang the biggest hug. She was so happy he was safe, but in the back of her mind she knew he would be. Why didn't she have that thought when she saw Zuko?

"What happened?" Zuko asked, not having time for a reunion. Aang looked over at him, "They knew… It was Azula when I got there… The Fire Lord isn't even here." There was a moment of silence between them. "Let's just focus on getting out of here alive" was all Zuko could say. He couldn't help but blame himself for the failed mission, yet he didn't know why.

Sokka and Hakoda waited patiently for them to come back, hoping for good news. They were trying to focus on the other water benders and earth benders and getting them to safety but they couldn't help the dread they felt about their family member and the other two boys coming back safe as well.

It wasn't long before they saw Appa flying in the sky. Sokka ran up to them when they landed, "What happened? Is he dead?" he asked, slightly excited. Aang hung his head, disappointed while Katara shook hers, "We have to get everyone out of here" she said. Sokka nodded, "Everyone, get back to the subs!" he yelled, leading the group.

Aang and Katara sored into the air to hold the air ships back, giving the group as much time as possible. They tried to bring as many down as possible but there was so many of them. They landed back on the ground with the others. "Take cover!" Sokka yelled, "I think we're about to see some bombs!" Toph bended a stone slab over them as the bombs began to rain down. But as quickly as they began, they stopped. Zuko looked towards the sky, "They're heading for the beach… They're going to destroy the subs."

"Can we make it?!" Sokka yelled but Zuko shook his head. It was already too late. "So how are we all going to get out of here?" Sokka asked.

"We're not…" Hakoda said, "All of our youngest need to get on Appa and escape. You all will live to fight another day. We will be taken in as prisoners but we will survive". It was a grave choice but it was their only option and everyone knew it. If they stayed and fought, they would only lose more people and they couldn't all make it out.

Everyone began to say their goodbyes to their loved ones. They didn't know when they would see each other again. The youngest loaded onto Appa. Katara looked back at the group and noticed that Zuko hadn't gotten onto Appa yet. "Zuko?" she asked.

"I'm not going…" he told them, "I can't… I will stay with the others". Katara got from Appa, "But Zuko…" she wanted to change his mind. She didn't want to lose him. But he shook his head, "I have to do this…"

A tear fell from Katara's eyes. She didn't know what to say. He was making a sacrifice for them, when he didn't have to. She knew he felt responsible but to give up his freedom again… She wanted to change his mind. "Please…" she begged, but his resolve remained hard as stone. She felt a pull on her arm, it was her brother bringing her back to Appa. Sokka understood how the fire bender felt, because he felt it himself but he had to protect his sister.

"Thank you for being so brave and strong. I'm going to make this up to you" Aang stated in a strong tone. With that, he flew Appa into the sky. There was a sense of grief on Appa that day, for the family they had lost. Katara couldn't help but cry for the friend she lost. But was he just a friend? Or was he more than that? She honestly wasn't sure.

But she did know calling him a friend couldn't be quite right.

 **Ta-Daa! That's it for this chapter! I hope you guys liked it! There will be more very soon! Until next time!**


	24. Chapter 24: The Western Air Temple

**Hello everyone! Welcome to part 24 of Freedom! I know it's been quite a while since I've updated. Life got crazy but don't fret! I do plan on finishing this story! But thank you all for sticking with this story when my life got crazy. As always, I do not own Avatar or its characters. Onto the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 24: The Western Air Temple**

The gang was quiet most of the trip. After the failed invasion and the loss of their friends, nobody really felt like talking. They all were feeling sullen for different reasons. Both Sokka and Aang blamed themselves for the failed mission. Sokka felt like this whole mission was his idea. He was the one who discovered the eclipse in the sunken library. Their whole journey since then had been to gather troops and prepare for the day of black sun. So now that the mission failed, he blamed himself.

Aang blamed himself for not defeating the Fire Lord. In his mind, the plan had no faults. There was no better way they could have done it. Even if he had managed to defeat Azula, they would have made progress. But all they did was risk the lives of their friends and send them to prison. He was their hope and he had failed them.

But the whole felt as if they had failed their friends. They were mourning the friendships they had to leave behind. Toph mourned the Boulder. Haru and Teo mourned their fathers. The Duke mourned Pipsqueak. Sokka and Katara mourned their father. Everyone was in mourning. The fate of their friends was unknown. They didn't know if they would ever see them again.

Katara not only mourned her father, but she also felt a deep pain in her heart for Zuko. It felt like she had just saved him from execution. It felt like he had just joined their group. And now they were to be separated again, possibly forever.

She knew they wouldn't have time to go back and save him this time. When he didn't get on Appa, he had made his choice. They had to focus on finding someone to teach Aang fire bending now that Zuko couldn't. Zuko had started to teach Aang the basics but he was by no means a master. His flames were still weak. Katara guessed it might be because of when he last tried to learn fire bending but Aang refused to say.

But Katara couldn't help her mind to wander back to the fire bender. Her heart ached at the thought of him back behind bars. She couldn't help but pray to Tui and La to save him and let him escape. The thought of never seeing him again pained her. But she wasn't sure what she could do to save him.

She looked over to Aang who was sat at the front of Appa, his face hard as stone. She thought back to all the memories they had and the moment they had shared before the invasion. Katara knew that Aang had feelings for her. From the moment she found him, she knew he had a little crush. But as she thought she started to realize that the crush wasn't so little anymore. And then she wasn't sure she felt the same way.

Ever since Katara found Aang in the iceberg, he was like a brother to her, like family. When he kissed her before the invasion, it was like she was kissing her brother or family. It didn't feel quite right. Kissing Zuko was different. She felt like she wanted to explore every part of him. Then another part of her was too scared to do so.

Katara knew what Aang wanted after the war was over. He wanted to travel with her, to travel without a destination. She tried to think of a life after all of this with him but she couldn't. After all of this is over, she didn't want to travel. She wanted to build roots. But she also knew he didn't want that. But she didn't know how to tell him no.

She was pulled from her thoughts when they arrived at the western air temple. The western air temple was different from the southern air temple were Aang grew up. It was carved into the side of a mountain, with deep passageways that seemed to go on forever. It had been abandoned for years and it was the perfect place for them to hide for a while until they figured out the best plan of action.

Teo, Haru, and the Duke all ran going to explore the temple. Aang started to follow them but Katara pulled him back, " We need to decide what we're gonna do now, and since you're the Avatar, maybe you should be a part of this" she gave him a smile. Aang sighed and sat in the circle with his friends, "Fair enough, what's the new plan?" he asked, looking around the circle at everyone.

Sokka spoke up first, "Well if you ask me, the new plan is the old plan! You just need to master all four elements and defeat the Fire Lord before the comet comes!" but Aang clearly got very dejected at this plan. He started to say sarcastically, "Oh yeah. That's great, no problem. I'll just do that" he started to stand up but Katara pulled him back up, "Aang, nobody said it would be easy". Toph chimed in, "Yeah, now with Zuko gone…" this made everyone very quiet, especially Katara. It was still a fresh wound. "Toph's right" Aang said, "With Zuko gone, where am I supposed to get a fire bending teacher?!" he crossed his arms, waiting. "We could look for Jeong Jeong! Or Iroh!" Sokka said, throwing out options. Aang rolled his eyes, "We have no idea where either of them are" he sighed, "Can't come up with anyone? Well, why don't we take a nice tour around the temple instead?" with that, him and Momo ran into the temple.

The three sighed, "What's up with him?" Toph asked. But the other two just shrugged their shoulders, not knowing what to do.

The fire nation approached the group left behind from the invasion. They knew if they were to fight it would only end in more casualties. They raised their hands and went to their knees, indicting surrender. It took everything in Zuko to surrender this way. It made him remember the last time.

 _Dai Li were quickly surrounding him and his Uncle. He fought with every ounce of fire he had. He couldn't let the Dai Li follow Katara and the Avatar. They had to get out alive. This was his sacrifice for what Katara gave him._

 _"Surrender now dear brother. We have you surrounded" Azula smirked, knowing she had won._

 _But Zuko stood standing, "Never"_

 _But before he knew it, Dai Li were forcing him and his Uncle to the ground. He hadn't expected to go in one direction while his Uncle went to the other. He yelled his Uncle's name and tried to follow him, but he knew in his heart that they were being separated. He didn't know when he would see his Uncle again if he ever did._

 _They threw him in the same prison that Katara and him were in what felt like minutes earlier, but they had fixed the wall where they escaped. He sat on the floor of his prison, feeling more alone then he ever had before._

Zuko wouldn't let it be like last time. No, he would get out of this. He would get back to her.

 **Ta-Daaa! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Will Zuko be able to escape? Find out in the next chapter! Until next time!**


	25. Chapter 25: The Runaways

**Hello everyone! Welcome to part 25 of Freedom! I told you guys I was gonna be coming back with another chapter very soon! Well here we are! I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter. As always, I do not own Avatar or its characters. Onto the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 25: The Runaways**

The fire benders split up the group of fugitives very soon after they were captured. Most were transported to a fire nation prison far from the capital. Zuko remembered to keep the name Wen How prison in his mind. He wanted to try and rescue them as soon as possible. But first he had to make a game plan of how he was going to get free.

The only two that did not make their way to Wen Ho was Hakoda and Zuko. The fire benders viewed them as the leaders of the invasion and planned to transport them to Shin Ho prison. Zuko knew this prison all too well, as it was the prison he managed to escape from. And he didn't know how he was going to escape a second time. As Zuko and Hakoda were loaded into the back of a metal van pulled by ostrich horses, they listened to the soldiers talk to the drivers.

"These two are headed to Shin Wo. High security so keep an eye on them. They're very dangerous" one guard told the driver. The driver responded, "Okay, these prisoners won't go anywhere" they heard him hit the side of a van, referring to them. "Also you're gonna have to stop at the Fire Lord's work camp"

Zuko's eyes widened a little at this. When he was in the palace, he remembered hearing of work camps spread throughout the nation. All he remembered was that they were for prisoners who were fit enough to be put to use and didn't struggle very much. But he also remembered them being very cruel. But they were also just rumors but this proved they were true.

The driver got slightly agitated at having to make an extra stop, "They've got a worker there that's going up to Shin Wo as well. A Kyoshi warrior. Very dangerous as well." Zuko noticed a sense of recognition on the water chiefs face at this. Zuko remembered the Kyoshi warriors from back when he was hunting the Avatar. But he didn't realize Hakoda may recognize them.

The guard closed the back door to the van and a few moments later, the driver began to pull away. Zuko turned to Hakoda, "We need to get out of here. Do you have any ideas?" he asked him. The water tribesman thought, "Our best bet is when we stop to pick up the Kyoshi warrior. I may know her, Sokka spoke of a girl named Suki who is a Kyoshi warrior before the invasion. We can rescue her as well" Zuko nodded, remembering back to when he attacked the village and what the girl looked like that Sokka was usually with. They both conjured up a game plan. It wasn't foolproof. There were many things that could go wrong. But they didn't have any other options.

Using a pin from Hakoda's hair, they were able to undo their handcuffs. Now all they could do was wait. The fire bender and water chief felt the truck come to halt. There were no windows in the van but they presumed they were at the work camp. It was now or never.

Zuko banged on the truck wall, trying to get the drivers attention. The doors opened to reveal two guards and the restrained Kyoshi warrior. As soon as Zuko saw her, he recognized her as Suki, the leader of the warriors. She clearly recognized him too with a death glare.

Zuko took a moment to survey his surroundings. They were still in the middle of the forest. Two guards most have brought the prisoner away from the camp so even the driver wouldn't know the location of the camp. It was the perfect place to escape.

"What's the problem here?" one guard asked.

Zuko was breathing deep and sweating profusely, "This man here dropped dead. Most likely from heat exhaustion" he wiped his forward. The guard swore under his breath and threw the girl inside. He grabbed Hakoda by the collar and pulled him from the truck. The guard set him on the ground, "Stay here and watch these two. I'm going to head back and ask the camp what we should do with this guy" the guard hopped in the truck and drove off. The camp couldn't be far if it meant he could get there and back in a matter of minutes. But Zuko saw his moment and went for it. He leapt from the truck and blasted fire towards the remaining guard and the driver. The two immediately fired back but Zuko dodged their blasts.

Hakoda jumped to the front of the truck, "You two get in!" he yelled, starting it up. Suki was the first to get in and Zuko followed shortly after. They sped away, slightly laughing at what they just accomplished.

They drove for many miles before they figured they were far enough away to take a break. They sat in a circle around a fire that Zuko had made, figuring out how they were to get back to their friends and family and catching up on what had happened.

Suki and the rest of the Kyoshi warriors were overtaken by Azula and her group. They then had their uniforms stripped from them and were thrown in prison. Suki was the most hurt out of all of them so she ended up in the work camp so once she healed she could begin to work for them. But soon they had discovered she was actually the leader of the Kyoshi warriors and was plotting to escape so they planned to have her thrown in Shin Wo prison, until she escaped with them.

Hakoda then told her the tale of the day of black sun and how their mission had failed. He explained how they ended up on their way to the prison. "Well we've explained most things to each other…" Suki said, then turned to me, "So how did you lose your scar? And how did you end up with them?" she asked. Zuko had seen this question coming. Last time he saw her, he was trying to destroy her village. It was right of her to question him. "Katara healed me" he told her, "I've been with them ever since" that was the short story of how he ended up in the group, and all she really needed to know for now.

Suki nodded, but Zuko interjected, "I'm sorry for burning down your village by the way" he added. She chuckled, "If Sokka can begin to trust you, so can I" they both nodded in agreement. "So how are we getting back to the group?" Zuko finally asked. Hakoda began to speak, "The Avatar and I expressed a game plan if the mission were to fail. Your group was supposed to head on Appa to the western air temple, while the subs followed by water and then proceeded on foot. Although the subs did not survive, our best bet is to head towards the western air temple"

Zuko nodded, "I know where it is, I've been there before" the group agreed. They would drive to the western air temple until they could not go any further. From there they would take the ostrich horses on foot to the base of the western air temple. The only way to get in is by flying bison so Zuko would send a signal to the group.

Zuko couldn't help but smile. Him and Katara were to be reunited very soon.

 **Ta-Daaa! Next chapter, Zutara will be reunited! The next chapter will be out very soon! Until next time!**


	26. Chapter 26: The Reunited

**Hello everyone! Welcome to part 26 of Freedom! I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter! It was a fun one to write! I'm not gonna make this intro long because I know you guys are ready for the next chapter. So as always, I do not Avatar or its characters. Onto the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 26: The Reunited**

At the western air temple, the group had finally reconvened in the main space of the temple. They decided that they would set up camp there with Appa and they would divide up the rooms accordingly. Aang was flying around on his glider, through the spires on the ceiling of the temple. Katara yelled up, "Aang can we talk about you learning firebending now?" she asked, slightly annoyed with the younger boy. But Aang refused to listen, feigning deaf he replied, "What? The wind is too loud in my ears. Check out this loop!"

Teo, Haru, and the Duke all cheered him on. But Katara sighed at the boy's immature behavior. She turned to Sokka, giving him a look to try. Sokka sighed and yelled, "Aang, I think we should talk about our plans for the future". But again, the avatar shrugged off the statement, "Okay! We can do that while I show you the giant Pai Sho table!" Aang made another loop with his glider, "Oh, you guys are gonna love the all-day echo chamber"

But Toph stopped dead, "I think that'll have to wait" everyone turned to look at her. Suddenly they saw a flare of fire go up into the sky on the opposite side of the cliff. They all gasped, thinking it was Azula or fire benders coming for them. But Toph gasped, "You guys are gonna want to see this"

They all looked closely over the edge to see Zuko, Hakoda, and Suki standing there.

Katara didn't think she ever had a smile as big as the one she had then.

As soon as Appa landed, holding the three runaway prisoners, it was a big reunion. "Dad!" Sokka and Katara yelled, enveloping him in a big hug. Hakoda chuckled and rubbed their backs, "It's good to see you two again" he held them close. Sokka then turned and saw Suki standing there, "Suki?" he said, shocked. She smiled and that was all he needed to pull her into a big hug.

Katara then turned to Zuko, tears in her eyes. He had stood to the side, letting the them have their family reunion. "How..?" was all Katara could muster. Zuko couldn't help but laugh a little, "It's a long story" he said. He then held out his arms and she ran into them. He held her close to his chest. He thought he might never see the water bender again. Her chest raked with sobs as he rubbed her back. "Thank you…" she told him. But he just shook his head.

Zuko began to unpack some clothes into a drawer in his room. It felt like it had been so long since he has his own room. In Ba Sing Se, him and his Uncle shared a room over the tea shop where they worked. He thought back to that time. It was weird to think they would have been content to live their lives there. But fate didn't see it that way.

Now he was here, and tomorrow, he was going to help the Avatar learn fire bending. It was funny how things could change so quickly. He never thought things would be so different. If only his Uncle was here to see it, he thought…

Zuko looked up at a knock at the door to see Katara standing there. She smiled at him, "Almost unpacked?" she asked him. He nodded but had a strange look on his face, "It feels weird to unpack, like we might have roots here for a while" he told her. She nodded a little, understanding what he meant. It seemed they had been traveling place to place for so long.

They were both quiet for a while, enjoying the comfortable silence between them. But although it was comfortable, the kiss between Aang and Katara was still on the back of their minds. Katara had a feeling Zuko saw from the way his face turned cold but she didn't know how she felt about either of the boys. She didn't know what to say to him just yet.

"Well I should get started on dinner" she said, breaking the silence. He nodded and smiled at her. Katara smiled back then turned from the room and sighed. She didn't want to hurt either of them.

Before she got started on dinner, she decided to go off by herself and think for a while. She came across a stream and she stuck her toes in. She began to absentmindedly waterbend. She still didn't know what to do. She tried to think of what her Gran-Gran would say. She remembered a conversation she had when she was a little girl, when a boy she had a crush on told her she wasn't pretty.

 _"But Gran Gran…" Katara cried. Her grandmother rubbed her back, "I know child… One day you will find a boy who will love you for everything you are…" she told the young girl. Katara sniffled, "How will I know when I find him?" she asked._

 _Gran Gran sighed, "You won't know at first… It may take time. But when you find him, you will think of him day and night. You will see the moon in his soul. The fire in his veins. You will feel like you're flying when you are with him. But he will remind you to feel the earth underneath your feet. And your eyes won't be open to him at first. But one day you will just know"_

Katara sighed, she wished she just knew. But she had two men in front of her and she didn't know what she wanted. Zuko made her feel the fire in her veins. He made her feel alive. But Aang made her feel like she was flying. She felt free with him. She felt two different ways when she was with them but neither of them were bad. She didn't know what she wanted to feel.

When the sun started to set, Katara made her way back to the camp. She knew she had to get back before the group got too hungry. When she arrived back at the camp, the first thing she saw was Zuko pacing. "What's going on?" she asked. He looked up and let out a sigh of relief when he saw her, "You said you were coming out to make dinner and when I came out you were gone. I was worried about you" he told her.

Katara couldn't help the blush that formed on her cheeks when he said that. He was worried about her. "I'm alright" she told him, "I just went for a walk" he nodded, smiling a little at her before turning away.

But all Katara could do was sigh. She was still as confused as ever.

 **Ta-Daaa! I hope you guys liked that chapter! It was lots of fun to write! They are reunited, yay! But things are just confusing as ever. Will Katara ever make her decision? You shall see! Until next time!**


	27. Chapter 27: The Instructor

**Hello everyone! Welcome to part 27 of Freedom! Back with the next chapter! I have been writing these like crazy lately! But I'm back with the next chapter! Hope you guys enjoyed the last one! As always, I do not own Avatar or its characters. Onto the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 27: The Instructor**

Aang slept blissfully in his cot. The sun was only just starting to rise and it was normal for the airbender to be sleeping at this time. But this morning, Zuko shook the Avatar awake. Aang woke with start, looking at the firebender like he had 3 heads. "Get up, your training starts in 10 minutes. If you're not there, its 20 badgerfrog squats" and with that the firebender left the room. Aang groaned and buried his face in his pillow. He was not ready for this training.

Zuko stood ready when the Avatar came out for his training, still a little groggy from his early morning wake up call. "Now…" Zuko started, "I know you're nervous, but remember, firebending in it of itself is not something to fear" he reassured the Avatar. Aang let out a breath at this, maybe it would be easier then he thought now that he had learned the other elements?

"But if you don't respect it, it'll chew you up and spit you out like an angry komodo rhino!"

Maybe not.

Zuko shook that off, realizing maybe that wasn't the right thing to say, but it was what the airbender needed to hear. "Okay, now show me what you got. Any amount of fire you can make" he instructed. Aang nodded, trying to imitate a move he had seen Zuko perform in the past, but all that came out was a small puff of smoke. "Maybe I need a demonstration?" Aang suggested.

Zuko nodded, "Good idea, take a step back" he added. Zuko concentrated and made a fist, punching it forward. But all that came out was a very small flame. Aang began to clap at the display.

Zuko looked at his hands appalled, "That was the worst firebending I've ever seen!" he tried again, but experienced the same result. Aang shrugged, "I thought it was good". The pair tried at different elevations, at different times, at different spots. But it was the same result. He had lost his stuff.

The group sat in a circle, "Why do you think this might be happening?" Katara asked. Zuko thought for a moment, "Iroh said something about how my firebending used to rely on anger. Maybe I'm not angry anymore?" he thought aloud. "Well that's a relief" Toph said sarcastically. Aang added, "My teachers used to say that when our heart was uneasy, it could affect our bending" Zuko didn't comment on this. He glanced at Katara but quickly changed the subject.

"I'm more worried about how to fix this then how it occurred" he added. Toph offered a suggestion, "You're gonna need to learn to draw your firebending from a different source. I recommend the original source" she then added, "For earthbending, its badger moles"

She began to explain to the group, "They were blind, just like me. So, we understood each other. I was able to learn earthbending, not just as a martial art, but as an extension of my senses. For them, the original earthbenders it wasn't just about fighting. It was their way of interacting with the world."

Aang smiled, "That's beautiful, Toph" she smiled back, blushing a little. Zuko shook his head, "Unfortunately, it's not possible. The original source of firebending was dragons, but they're extinct" he hung his head. Aang spoke up, "What do you mean? When I was a kid, there was lots of dragons" the Avatar added, confused. "Well there isn't anymore" Zuko spoke, his tone leaving no room for disagreement.

Suddenly Zuko had a thought, "But maybe there's another way…" everyone looked at him expectantly. He began to speak, "The original firebenders who learned from the dragons were called the Sun Warriors. Maybe if we look around their ruins, we could learn something. It's not far from here"

Aang and Zuko left the next morning. The ride was quiet, tension settling like fog between the two. Aang had suspected that Zuko had a crush on Katara. And Zuko knew he did. So, the air was tight between them. It didn't take long before Aang mentioned something, "Look Zuko… We need to talk" Zuko frowned a little at the way the Avatar spoke but nodded. Aang sighed, "I don't know what your feelings are for Katara… but after this war, her and I are going to be together"

Zuko frowned even more, "You and Katara decided this?" he asked. Aang nodded, "We're going to travel together. When this is all over, her and I are going to be together. And I don't want you getting hurt by that. I consider you a friend"

But Zuko countered, "Just because she said she wants to travel with you, doesn't mean she wants to be together Aang. You shouldn't get your hopes up" he told the younger boy. Although him and the firebender were fighting for the same girl, Zuko cared about the boy. He didn't want him to be hurt by Katara's choices if she did decide him.

But again, Zuko had no idea. Maybe him and Katara had decided to run away together after the war. Wouldn't she have told him? Katara cared for him, so if she was planning on being with the airbender after the war, she would have told him. Right?

He sighed, realizing he had absolutely no idea if she would. "The point is…" Aang started, "If you do feel that way for her… Maybe you ought to start moving on…"

Zuko didn't know how to reply to that. But part of him told him not to listen to the Avatar's words. He somehow knew that whatever Katara and him had wasn't quite over.

 **Ta-Daaa! I know it's a short chapter but if I combined this one and the next, it would've been way too long. But I hope you guys enjoyed this one none the less. Don't fret! A new chapter is coming out very soon! Until next time!**


	28. Chapter 28: The Ancient City

**Hello everyone! Welcome to part 28 of Freedom! I hope you guys enjoyed that last chapter and are looking forward to reading this one! I've also really enjoyed reading your reviews and seeing you guys favorite and follow this story. It means a lot to know you guys enjoy it! We don't have too much longer of this story! But don't worry, there will be a sequel! As always, I do not own Avatar or its characters. Onto the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 28: The Ancient City**

The rest of the ride to the temple was quiet for the two firebenders, with a sense of tension in the air. When they arrived at the Sun Warrior's temple, they were both blown away. It was far from a temple, it was an entire city. Aang landed Appa right outside of the main entrance. "Woah…" was all either of them could say.

As they walked in, they began to see more buildings. Some looked like shops or markets, others like people's homes. "Even though these buildings are ancient, there's something eerily familiar about them" Zuko said as they began walking, "I can tell the Fire Sages' temples are somehow descended from these" he looked around. The pagoda roofs, the large pillars and stone statues all resembled something out of the fire nation.

Aang was also looking around at all of the ancient buildings, "Okay. We've learned something about architecture. Hopefully, we'll learn something about firebending too. The past can be a great teacher"

They continued walking for a short while, making their way towards the large temple in the center of the city. As they were walking, Aang, a few steps ahead of Zuko, tripped over a thin black rope. Suddenly, the floor collapsed in front of them and revealed threatening looking spikes. As Aang began to fall forward, he blew air underneath him to keep him from falling and flipped over to the other side, catching his balance before he fell in. The Avatar breathed deep, scared, "Zuko I think the past is trying to kill me"

Zuko examined the rope that caused the booby trap, "I can't believe it. This booby trap must be centuries old and it still works". Aang looked back towards the temple, "There's probably a lot more. Maybe this means we shouldn't be here" the Avatar suggested. But Zuko didn't listen. He took a few steps back and ran along the wall to the other side where Aang was standing. He brushed himself off, as if it were nothing and said, "Where's that up-beat attitude you are always talkin' about?" he looked towards the temple once again, "Besides, people don't make traps unless they've got something worth protecting"

They continued until they made their way up the stairs of the temple. In front of them was a large mosaic, showing two dragons breathing fire towards a sun warrior and him firebending it away from him. It was supposed to show how they had progressed in order to bend the fire that the dragons wielded and befriend them. Zuko looked at the picture downcast, clearly distracted.

"Zuko?" Aang spoke. The firebender looked over at him, "What aren't you telling me about the dragons? Why happened to make them extinct?" the airbender asked.

Zuko sighed, "Fire Lord Sozin happened" he began to walk, Aang following him as he spoke, "He started the tradition of hunting dragons for glory. There were the ultimate firebenders. And if you could conquer one, your firebending talents would become legendary and you'd earn the honorary title, Dragon" they approached a dragon statue, slightly demolished from the centuries of wear. Zuko stopped in front of it, "The last great dragon was conquered long before I was born…" he paused slightly, "By my uncle"

Aang was very surprised by this. He had always known Zuko's Uncle to be very peace loving. He wouldn't expect him to hurt a fly, much less a dragon, "But I thought your uncle was ... I don't know, good?" Aang asked.

Zuko bowed his head a little, "He had a complicated past… Family tradition I guess… Let's just keep looking" he turned away from the statue and towards the temple, speaking no more on the matter.

They found a large gold door, above it a large reflective stone. On the ground in front of the door, the stones formed a circle and behind that was a pillar with another stone just like the one above the door and it reflected onto the circle on the ground. Zuko studied it for a moment before it hit him, "It's a celestial calendar. Just like the Fire Sages have in their temples" he leaned down, finding where the light was hitting on the ground, "I bet that sunstone opens the door, but only when sunlight hits at just the right angle. On the solstice"

Aang groaned at this, "Monkeyfeathers! The solstice again? We can't wait here that long". Zuko nodded, "No, we can't", he unsheathed one of his swords, "But we might be able to speed time up".

Zuko placed his sword on where the light hit the ground, angling it so the reflected light hit the sun stone, "Let's see if we can outsmart the sunstone" he said. Zuko held the light on the sun stone for a moment, concentrating. Then, all of a sudden, the doors opened

The pair walked inside. Aang gasped at the statues. They all had horrifying mean faces, at first glance looking real. Zuko studied them, "It's called the dancing dragon" he walked around to the all of statues, seeing if he could find a clue in one.

Aang studied the first statue. He leaned his glider against the wall and stood in front of the statue. When he mimicked the statue's pose, he felt a plate underneath him shift. Aang called over to Zuko, "Zuko! I want you to dance with me!" he yelled.

Zuko sent the Avatar a weird look, but Aang just continued, "Trust me". Zuko sighed and went in front of the other statue, copying its movements. "See?" Aang said, "These aren't dance moves. These statues are giving us a lesson. I think this is some kind of Sun Warrior firebending form". Zuko sighed, "This better teach us some really good firebending"

When they hit the last pose, they heard something shift behind them. A pedestal appeared and it was holding a golden egg. Zuko walked over to it, about to pick it up. But Aang stopped him, "Don't! Remember the booby traps!"

But Zuko didn't listen. He picked up the egg and examined it. At first, nothing seemed to happen. Then, all of a sudden, the doors shut and a green goo shot from the floor and blasted Zuko to a grate on the ceiling, sticking him to it. "I can't break free!"

The room began to fill with the same goo. Aang tried to escape it, flying on top of the statues. But soon he himself was stuck to the grate as well. "You just had to pick up the egg, didn't you" Aang said.

"At least I made something happen" Zuko fired back. Aang sighed, "So what do we do now? He asked. Zuko thought for a moment, "At least we have air. For now, we try to come up with some sort of plan to get out of here"

They sighed, it was their only option.

 **Ta-Daaa! That's it for this chapter! Hope you guys liked it! I know its basically just the episode Firebending Masters so far but it will differ next chapter and this had to be the lead in. So until next time!**


	29. Chapter 29: The Origins

**Hello everyone! Welcome to part 29 of Freedom! I hope you guys enjoyed last chapter and are enjoying this series! It has been very fun to write and its coming along great! There isn't too many chapters left but don't worry there will be a sequel! So we will see this version of our favorite characters again! So as always, I do not own Avatar or its characters. Onto the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 29: The Origins**

It had felt like ages that the two had sat there, looking at the sky, unable to move except wiggling their noses and twiddling their thumbs. It was night and the two boys didn't talk much, both irritated at the other for their situation.

All of a sudden, the two heard footsteps coming towards them, they tried to lean their heads up to take a look at the sound but they were unable to move. Gazing down on them, was an older fire nation man who was wearing a uniform that Zuko recognized as the Sun warrior uniform. The two looked at the man with shocked expressions.

"Who's down there?"

A little while later, Aang and Zuko stood in front of a council, while two aardvark sloths licked the icky slime off of their skin and clothes. The sun warrior that found them, circled them, as if examining them. "You will be severely punished for trying to take our sunstone"

Aang shook his head quickly, "No please we weren't trying to take your sunstone. We were only trying to learn the ancient origins of firebending". Another sun warrior with a high-pitched voice shot back, "Lies! They are obviously thieves! Here to take our precious sunstone!" he held up the stone in his hand. But Aang retorted again, "Please just hear us out… I don't normally play this card but I'm the Avatar…" he told the sun warriors.

The group got slightly quieter and more attentive to the two outsiders. Zuko then spoke up, "My name is Zuko…" he began but was cut off by the same sun warrior, "As in Crown Prince of the Fire Nation?" he asked. Zuko looked down at this, "I used to be… I know my people have distorted the ways of firebending, to be fueled by anger and rage. But now I want to learn the true way… The original way… When we came here, I never imagined the Sun Warrior's civilization was secretly alive. I am truly humbled to be in your presence… Please… Teach us"

As he spoke, the sun warriors stood and listened. The one who had found Zuko and Aang stepped forward once again, clearly the leader among them, "If you wish to learn the ways of the Sun, you must learn them from our masters. Ran and Shaw… When you see the masters, you must bring them a piece of the eternal flame. The first ever fire. It was given to man by the dragons. And we have kept it going for thousands of years"

The two looked at the man in surprise, neither seeing how fire could survive for that long. The man continued, "You will each take a piece of it to the masters, to show your commitment to the sacred art of firebending". Zuko could see the nervous look on the Avatar's face before Aang spoke, "Umm, Mister Sun Chief Sir , yeah, I'm not a firebender yet. Couldn't my friend here carry my fire for me?" he asked while pointing at Zuko. But the sun warrior quickly said no. Aang gulped clearly nervous.

The chief continued, "This ritual illustrates the essence of Sun Warrior philosophy. You must maintain a constant heat. The flame will go out if you make it too small. Make it too big, and you might lose control" as he spoke, he took a piece of the fire, splitting it in two and putting it in the palm of their hands. Aang looked at the flame in bewilderment, "It's like a little heartbeat" he said. The sun warrior began to explain, "Fire is life, not just destruction… You will take your flames up there. The cave of the masters is beneath that rock" The two nodded and bowed slightly. They then began their trek up the mountain towards the masters.

The two men were silent most of the way, focusing on their fire and thinking about what lied ahead. Zuko managed to move more quickly than Aang, used to controlling fire. Zuko stood and waited at the top while Aang lagged behind. "I'm sorry" the Avatar apologized, "If I walk too fast, my flame will go out" he said. But Zuko replied, "Your flame's gonna go out because it's too small. You're too timid, give it more juice" Zuko could tell the boy was nervous about controlling the flame, "You can do it… You're a talented kid" Aang smiled slightly at him before they kept moving.

When they reached the top, the sun warriors were already there. They lined a long pathway leading to a set of tall stairs. Some warriors beat on large drums to a strange beat. The chief began to approach them and gestured for them to head up the stairs. The two boys gulped and walked up the stairs.

At the top was two pathways leading in opposite directions to two caves that held the masters. They heard the chief yell from below, "Present your flame to the masters!" The two kneeled before the caves, presenting their flame. They didn't know at all what they were doing, only what their body told them to do. Within a moment, their fire went out. They glanced at each other with worried expressions, neither of them knowing what was happening.

All of a sudden, two dragons appeared from the caves, soaring high above the firebender and the Avatar. They gasped at the magnificence of them, as they soared gracefully in circles above them. Zuko was the most shocked, since as far as he knew and had grown up knowing, there was no dragons left. Yet there were two flying above him. About to judge him.

The dragons continued to soar in a pattern around the raised platform. Aang got an idea, "I think they want us to dance with them" he said. Zuko disagreed, "What ? What about this situation makes you think they want us to dance ?" he asked. Aang just shrugged, "I feel like we need to do something. Zuko groaned but agreed, still unsure about the idea.

The two moved in time with one another and the dragons, almost as if in sync. When the finished the dance, the two dragons almost plopped on either side of them. "Judgement time!" the chief sun warrior yelled.

It felt as if time had stood still. They looked into the eyes of the dragons and felt as if every moment of their life was being opened and read like a book. It seemed like it went on forever, as they stared into their soul. Suddenly, as if a button had been pushed in their minds, the dragons opened their mouths and blew fire towards them. As the men went to cover their faces, they felt no pain. When they looked around they saw fire with what seemed like millions of colors inside.

Then a moment later, they felt pulled from their bodies and transported to another time. They saw visions of the dragons and the sun warriors. The dragons giving the sun warriors fire and teaching them to move it. The sun warriors trying to stop the killing of the dragons before it was too late. So, they took the last two and took them into hiding. They saw Iroh with the sun warriors, promising to keep the last dragons a secret, saying he killed the last one, promising to spread that the sun warriors had died off with the dragons. So all would be well.

When they opened their eyes, the dragons were retreating back to their home. In awe with what they just had seen, they descended the steps and were greeted by the chief sun warrior at the bottom. "So now you understand…" he spoke. "Thank you Chief… I am in your debt" Zuko bowed as he spoke. He had never expected such an experience when he arrived here. "You can pay it off when you become Fire Lord" the chief told him. Zuko looked surprised for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

"Do you know why your bending had been diminished Prince Zuko?" the chief asked. Zuko frowned for a minute then shook his head, not knowing the real answer. "There is something in your life causing you inner turmoil… Something strong. Powerful. Now that something has not been given to you yet. But you will know what you must do once you leave here today. That something may not be returned to you yet… It will take time and hard work… But not only has your inner fire been relit, your drive has been restored… You will know what you must do…"

The chief smiled, knowingly, even though Zuko had absolutely no idea what he was talking about. But part of him knew that in time, he would know too.

 **Ta-Daaa! Holy crap, that was a long chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it! When I first watched Firebending Masters, I wasn't too happy with how they did it. It felt like a big build up to dragons breathing pretty colors and them knowing all about firebending now. I felt that if there was a story behind the colors more, it would make sense. So that's why I changed that! Also what do you think the chief was talking about? Let me know! Until next time!**


	30. Chapter 30: The Return

**Hello everyone! Welcome to part 30 of Freedom! Holy cow, 30 chapters! Thank you guys for sticking with me for so long! I'm still in awe of how dedicated you are to this story, even when I have gotten busy and haven't been able to upload like I should have. It means a lot to me! Now as always I do not own Avatar or the characters. Onto the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 30: The Return**

Aang couldn't stop talking on the way home about their adventure, especially how he couldn't wait to show everyone what they had learned, especially Katara, to which the firebender simply rolled his eyes and stared back at the clouds they passed. Zuko couldn't get what the chief said off of his mind. What did he mean by it will be restored to him? What was "it"? He was missing his Uncle. Could that, possibly be it? His Uncle had been his firebending teacher and when he was gone and Zuko didn't know where he was, he lost his firebending. It made sense but Zuko knew in his heart that wasn't it. He still wasn't sure. But somehow, he felt confident at some point he would, whether he knew it or not.

Katara sat at the river, cleaning the groups laundry, trying to get her mind off of the Zuko and Aang being gone. It was their third day on their journey and she felt miserable. She missed having to take care of Aang and waterbending with him when either of them got stressed. Whenever she was upset he would always try to make her laugh and forget about it. He was like a brother to her. But Zuko she could talk with for hours. He always knew the right thing to say and how to make her smile. Her talks with him felt like seconds when hours would go by. She missed him. She missed both of them. The group seemed incomplete without them around.

She tried to keep her mind busy, cleaning or cooking or waterbending to pass her time. And it would work for a while. But there was always a minute in time where she would stop and wonder what they were doing, if they were coming home soon. There was no way of knowing how long their journey would take. Zuko needed his firebending back and she knew he wouldn't be coming back until he found it.

It was still a mystery to the group how he lost it in the first place. It was like one day he was as powerful as he had always been, then one day it was like his inner fire was gone. And nobody knew why. Katara hoped that this trip would provide some clarity for him, for his sake. She just hoped that it was over soon and they could come home.

Even though they had not been at this spot long, it felt like home. They each had their own room down a long hallway and it was like having all of your best friends right next door, but they each had their own space. Katara decided to decorate her space with some flowers she found in the forest near by. It was another one of her ways of trying to distract herself from the missing men. She enjoyed their fire side chat over dinner each night, even though it was either something her father and brother had hunted or a simple stew and berries. It still felt like a home to her. She tried not to let herself get too comfortable, for she knew they might leave at any moment. But she still hoped that moment wasn't too soon.

Katara began to make her way back to the camp to hang their now wet clothes. But she couldn't help her mind from wandering to Aang and Zuko, but Zuko in particular. Her mind often wandered to the moment they shared by the river not too long ago and what it meant. Part of her thought it was simply just a moment. He was comforting her and it was just what she needed in the moment. And he thought that was what she needed to. And that it meant nothing now. He was just comforting her and got caught in the moment. But the more she thought it was more like she was convincing herself that it was true.

And then there was Aang and the kiss they shared on the Day of Black Sun. Did that mean anything? Or was it just a goodbye in case he didn't come back? Katara knew his feelings for her, and she had never felt the same. She always thought of him like a brother. But with that kiss, she didn't know what it meant to her. And if it didn't mean anything, how could she break his heart like that?

Aunt Wo had told her she would marry a powerful bender. Wasn't Aang powerful? He is the Avatar. Did that mean she was meant to marry him? Katara knew Aang wanted to travel with her after the war and go visit the places they saved, except when they didn't need saving. Aang spoke about it often. And Katara knew she would be happy if she went. But part of her wanted to settle down after the war. She was tired of traveling. She just wanted to make a home for herself. Not to mention, they had no idea when the war would end after their failed invasion. But she still questioned what she wanted once this was over.

Katara looked up as she heard a roar above her. Appa flew over her head in the direction of camp. She smiled and laughed with delight at her boys being home. She ran the rest of the way to camp. When she arrived, the rest of her friends and family were already greeting the men, asking them about their adventures. Katara ran to them, and without even realizing she did it, she ran into Zuko's arms.

Aang and Zuko landed and were immediately greeted by their friends. But Zuko couldn't help but look at the people around him and wonder where Katara was. Was she alright? But suddenly, he turned at the sound of his name and was greeted with Katara's warm arms wrapped around him in a tight hug. He held her close and couldn't help but smile at how good it felt to have her in his arms. He didn't notice the skeptical looks from Sokka and Hakoda, or the glare Aang sent his way. He simply wanted to hold her for as long as possible.

After what felt like too little time, she pulled away to look at him. "I'm so happy you're back!" Katara told him, smiling ear to ear. Zuko smiled back at her, about to speak before Aang cleared his throat to get the girls attention. Katara turned to the boy and smiled, "Aang!" she turned and hugged him, although she wasn't holding as tight as Aang held her. Katara even said, "Okay Aang, no need to suffocate me. I'm right here" which got a small chuckled from the group. "I missed you" he told her, and Zuko frowned at the small flare of jealousy that sparked in his abdomen.

Katara turned to both the boys, "I want to hear everything about your adventure. What did you find?" She couldn't wipe the smile of her face even if she tried. They were home and everything felt right again.

 **Ta-Daaa! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! A lot of fun to write! What are you guys thinking is gonna happen next? Will Zuko and Katara ever find out their feelings? You'll just have to wait and see! Until next time!**


	31. Chapter 31: The Nightmares

**Hello everyone! Welcome to chapter 31 of Freedom! As always, I hope you guys enjoyed last chapter! I have some very exciting news to share! I have a brand new story on my channel! It's called Long Lost Home and it is a Modern AU. So please go check it out and give it some love! So what did you guys think of last chapter? Leave your thoughts in a review! Thank you so much for reading and being loyal fans of this series. It means the world! As always, I do not own Avatar or its characters. Onto the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 31: The Nightmares**

The gang sat by the fire for what felt like hours that night, talking about the airbender and firebender's adventure. Aang explained everything in detail, trying his best to give it dramatic effect, while Zuko just sat to the side and intervened when the Avatar didn't get something quite right. Aang pulled Zuko up, wanting to show everyone the movement they learned. Zuko sighed but complied, doing the movements with him.

The group watched and clapped, happy with what the two had learned. Sokka joked "Yeah that's a good dance you learned there", which caused everyone to roll their eyes and chuckle because of the name.

It wasn't long before the group retired for bed. Zuko headed into his room, excited to finally sleep in a bed after 3 days and not on the back of Appa. He began to get ready for bed, stripping himself of his shirt and laying on his bed, looking out the window next to him. He felt himself slowly drifting off to the sight of the moon above him.

 _Zuko found himself in the middle of a battlefield. He looked around at the destruction around him. He recognized it as his home, The Fire Nation. He yelled for someone but all he saw was fire and crumbling buildings around him._

 _Zuko turned around to see his father behind him, looking furious. "You did this. This is your fault" Ozai told him. But Zuko shook his head, "No, this is yours" he took a fighting stance. But Ozai turned into Azula, looking deranged. "You're the reason mother left us. You're the reason we lost everything!" she yelled, taking a stance to direct lightening. Zuko stood his ground, prepare to redirect it. But Azula shot the lightening behind him. Zuko turned quickly to see what she was aiming at, just to see Katara fly back, the lightening coursing through her veins._

 _Zuko ran to her, ignoring Azula's cackles. He kneeled by her side, looking down at her precious face. Katara looked back at him, "You did this to me… This is your fault…" and with that, her eyes fell closed as Zuko yelled her name._

Zuko woke with a start, looking around his empty room. The nightmare replayed in his head over and over. He let out a breath, rubbing his forehead, trying to get the image of Azula's cackling face and Katara's limp body out of his brain. He stood up, putting on his tunic and walking out of his room. He figured some fresh air and firebending could erase the dream from his brain.

He didn't walk far before he found the one plaguing his thoughts sitting on the edge of the temple looking up at the moon. Zuko walked towards her out of instinct, "Couldn't sleep either?" he asked her. Katara turned her head to him and smiled as he sat next to her. "What keeps you up tonight?" she asked him. But Zuko just shook his head, "Just a bad dream…" he told her. How could he explain he was dreaming of her dead in his arms? And it affecting him this much? "You?" he asked her.

Katara looked down, then looked back at the moon. She wasn't sure how to answer that question. Because she wasn't so sure herself. The past few weeks, she felt something was missing but wasn't sure how to explain what. "Something's missing…" was all she could say, "I'm not sure what…" she told him. He nodded, understanding how she felt, because he felt the same.

When Katara looked down at her feet, she felt a tear fall. "I miss my mom…" she told him. Zuko's face fell, seeing her pain. He wanted to reach out to her, but didn't know how. So, he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close to his chest.

Katara gasped a little at the action but quickly relaxed into his embrace. Zuko had never held her like this but it felt right, like she belonged in his arms. He pressed his cheek against her hair and she let her tears fall onto his tunic. "I'm sorry Katara…" he told her.

She looked up at him and studied his face. Stubble was beginning to form on his chin, marring his now unmarred skin and his golden eyes seemed to pierce right through her. He bit his lip a little while looking at her. They felt drawn to each other without exactly knowing why.

Zuko looked into her eyes and felt himself leaning in. Katara leaned back. But they quickly jumped apart when they heard someone coming behind them. Katara and Zuko turned to see Sokka coming out of the hallway with question in his eyes, "Katara?" he asked. She stood up, "I was just heading to bed. I couldn't sleep and Zuko couldn't either so he kept me company" she told her brother. Sokka nodded, accepting her excuse. Katara turned to Zuko, "Goodnight Zuko…"

Zuko didn't sleep well the rest of the night.

The next morning the gang woke up bright and early to begin their day to day tasks. Zuko and Aang practiced firebending. Katara began to cleaning and making their lunch. Toph was complaining about how awake she was for this early in the morning. Sokka was going on and on with his dad about sword fighting. And the rest were running around the temple playing games. It seemed like this had become their daily routine and none of them complained. It felt good to have a home.

The group finally met together to eat their lunch. Lunch and Dinner were usually the only times they were able to sit down together as a group and just talk. Everyone was otherwise off doing their own things. As they sat around eating the soup Katara made, they talked and laughed and it felt like family.

Zuko couldn't help but exchange glances with Katara the whole meal. Sometimes he would catch himself staring at her for absolutely no reason at all. He still didn't understand what last night meant. He was going to kiss her.

When he kissed her after their run with Hama, he figured it was just a rush of emotions after what had just happened. She became exactly who she didn't want to be so he would survive. So he kissed her. But now he didn't know what it meant.

A crash pulled him from his thoughts as he saw the bomb hit the side of the temple from the corner of his eye. He jumped up to see a firenation air ship headed their way. They all began to try and fight back, but the bombs were inescapable.

Zuko looked over to see Katara standing in the middle of the temple. He saw the bomb hit above her and the rocks begin to fall. Out of pure instinct he ran to her aid, pushing her away from the falling rocks and landing on top of her. Zuko looked down at her for a moment, checking for bruises or signs of hurt. But Katara nodded her thanks and got out from underneath him, running to her family. He sighed and stood up, running towards the group.

Toph and Haru had made a passage for the group. "We can escape through here!" she yelled over the roar of the falling rocks. Zuko looked back at the air ship, and he just knew exactly who it was. "Go ahead! I'll hold them off!" he paused for a moment, "I think this is a family visit…" he ran away from the group. He was able to just barely hear Katara behind him, "Zuko! No!"

Katara yelled after Zuko but she knew it was no hope. Aang and Sokka held her back. "Appa won't go in! He's scared of tunnels" Aang said, as he tried to pull on the bison's reins. "We can't fly out of here Aang!" Katara yelled. The bombs were too much, there was too much risk. But Sokka shook his head, "We're gonna have to try" he looked towards his father and the others, "Take the tunnel and get to the stolen airship"

But Katara shook her head, "The Fire Nation can't separate our family again!" but Hakoda shook his head, "It's not forever" he told her. He saw the resolve in her face dissolve and she hugged him quick and tight, before watching them go out the tunnel.

 **That's it for this chapter! The next chapter will be out soon! Be sure to check out my new story Long Lost Home on my channel! First chapter is up now! Leave me a review and let me know what you think! Until next time!**


	32. Chapter 32: The Falling Rocks

**Hello everyone! Welcome to part 32 of Freedom! Sorry for the delay on this chapter. I'm about to head home for thanksgiving break so I've been busy with homework and getting ready for that. But once I'm on break I plan on getting a few chapters out for you guys! So here is the next chapter for you guys! As always, I do not own Avatar or its characters. Onto the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 32: The Falling Rocks**

"What are you doing here?" Zuko yelled. He stood on the edge of the temple, looking up at the airship and seeing Azula, standing on the edge looking back at him. He glared at her, standing his ground despite the falling rocks around him. Azula laughed evilly, "You mean it's not obvious yet? I am about to celebrate becoming an only child!" with that, she shot a blast of blue fire towards him, which he jumped out of the way.

The gang watched from above as Zuko and Azula fought, both sending equal amounts of fire towards the other. Katara couldn't help but bite her lip and clutch the side of Appa, worried for Zuko's safety.

Azula sent several more blasts towards him, all missing and hitting the ground as he dodged. He jumped from the temple towards the air ship and sent several blasts towards her. But the air ship jolted just as he was about to grab the bar and he fell to the misty floor below.

"Zuko!" Katara yelled, looking down below for any signs he might have survived. But there was no time, since Azula had directed her fire towards them. They dodged each blast, Aang using firebending and airbending to blow them in the opposite direction.

All of a sudden, a blast of orange fire can from out of the blue. It was Zuko, who had landed on a second airship and was firing back at Azula. Katara let out a breath of relief that Zuko had survived, but it was no time for reunions yet since he was still in her line of fire.

They were evenly matched, sending blast after blast at each other. Before finally, they knocked each other off, both falling. Appa flew towards him and Katara grabbed his hand, getting him back safely.

Before they got rejoice, Zuko turned to watch his sister fall. His eyes widened a little at the realization she wasn't going to make it. But suddenly the smoke cleared and there she stood, holding onto the side of the mountain. "Of course, she made it" Zuko groaned.

He sat back in Appa's saddle and turned to his friends, who equally had faces mixed with surprise, shock, and a little anger. Katara spoke first, "What were you thinking?" she said, tears almost in her eyes. Zuko sighed, "You need to listen… All of you…" he sighed, then added, "And understand… This battle with Azula is one that I must fight"

Everyone turned to interrupt him, but he cut them off. Zuko then turned to Aang, "Defeating the Fire Lord is your destiny. That is something you must do… Defeating Azula is something I must do" he paused again then began to explain, "When the Fire Lord falls, the sages will immediately turn to crown the new Fire Lord. Azula will be first pick because she is Ozai's heir"

"But what about you? You're his first-born son" Sokka asked, confused. But Zuko shook his head, "Even with Ozai's death I will still be banished… If I'm not there to be pronounced Fire Lord when Ozai falls, then Azula will be crowned… And the war will only get a hundred times worse. Azula is my destiny and one I must do alone"

The group was silent, for they understood what he meant. They didn't like it and didn't want their friend to do it alone, but they understood Zuko's stubbornness and knew they could not change his mind. That is, everyone except Katara.

The group stopped on a small plain on a cliffside. "It's just like old times, camping again!" Aang said, excitedly as they set up camp. "If you want it to feel like old times, I could, uh ... chase you around a while and try to capture you" Zuko joked. They all laughed, it wasn't often they heard Zuko joke with them. Sokka raised a cup, "To Zuko! Who knew after all those times he tried to snuff us out, today he'd be our hero?" They all raised their glasses, while Zuko tried to get them to stop, not liking all of the attention. Katara just watched the exchange and smiled.

It wasn't long before they decided to sleep for a night after a long day of battle and traveling. As the group prepare to go into their tents, Katara nudged Zuko secretly, causing him to look at her in surprise. He was about to speak when she gestured over to the cliffside. After a moment, he understood what she meant and nodded, continuing to put out the fire.

A little while after everyone went to bed, Katara quietly snuck out of her bed and outside. She walked the small distance to the cliffside to see Zuko already waiting for her. Zuko turned at the small sounds of her footsteps and looked, "I was beginning to think you stood me up" he told her, joking. She smiled and sat next to him.

For a few moments, they looked up at the moon and stars, thinking about what to say to each other next. Katara spoke first, "Why do you always have to do everything alone?" she asked him. He sighed, "That's just who I am…" he told her honestly. But she shook her head, "But not this… You don't have to fight Azula alone" she told him. Zuko sighed again, unsure how else to explain it to her. "I want to help you…" she told him, which caused him to look over at her, "I want to help you defeat Azula…" she told him again.

But Zuko shook his head, "Aang needs you…" he reminded her but she cut him off, "He will have Sokka and Toph and Suki… You need someone too. You can't do this alone…" she took his hand. Silent for a moment, Zuko thought, but he again shook his head, "No Katara… This is different… If she ever hurt you…" he trailed off. Katara shook her head, "She wouldn't hurt me… I am a master waterbender you know" she tried to joke.

Zuko sighed again, "I don't know… We have time to think… I don't know what's going to happen during the final battle… So, I don't want to promise you anything yet… Okay?"

Katara nodded a little, able to accept that answer for now. She rested her head on his shoulder, looking up at the moon. "Everything is going to change soon isn't it?" she asked.

Zuko nodded, "Yeah… Yeah it is"

 **Ta-Daaa! That's it for this chapter! Again sorry for the delay. So I do want to clarify something real fast. I decided that I was going to skip over Southern Raiders in this story. This is because the only reason that Zuko told Katara the information was so she could gain clarity over her mothers death so she could forgive him. But in this story at this point, he doesn't need to be forgiven. So I decided not to include that part of the story. Yet. So that's it for this chapter! Until next time!**


	33. Chapter 33: The Baby Picture

**Hello everyone! Welcome to part 33 of Freedom! I'm glad you guys enjoyed that last chapter and I'm excited to get a new one up for you guys! This chapter starts to get into the final battle! Although this series is coming to a close soon, there will still be more for you guys to see in the sequel! The story between Zuko, Katara, and the rest of the gang isn't over yet! As always, I do not own Avatar or its characters. Onto the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 33: The Baby Picture**

It had been a week since they had left the air temple. They had traveled to Zuko's old vacation home on Ember Island. The Fire Lord had not traveled here in years, even the servants who once kept the home clean in case Ozai arrived had gone. They would be safe as long as they kept out of sight of the locals. It was clear from the moment Zuko stepped in the home that there were memories held here, underneath the layers of dust. But he tried to hide it as he lead the group to the bedrooms.

The day of Sozin's comet was fast approaching, as the group tried their best to prepare. But they also knew there was no way they could prepare for something like this. They had battled many times, but nothing like this. There was a possibility that some of them may not come out alive.

Zuko was working Aang harder and harder. If Aang hadn't mastered fire then Ozai would use that against him. Zuko was pacing in front of Aang, "There's one technique you need to know before facing my father - how to redirect lightning" he saw the anxious look on the boys face as he said this. He assumed the position, slowly showing him the movement as the boy copied, "If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it. You turn your opponents' energy against them", he moved his fingers across his torso, showing how the movement of energy should feel and flow. Aang perked up a little, "That's like waterbending". Zuko nodded, "Exactly. My uncle invented this technique himself by studying waterbenders"

Aang hesitated a moment before speaking, "So, have you ever redirected lightning before?" he asked him. Zuko looked down, "Once… against my father" he told him. Aang looked at him curious, "How did it feel?" he asked. "Exhilarating…" Zuko said, "but terrifying. You feel so powerful holding that much energy in your body, but you know if you make the wrong move… it's over" he heard Aang gulp, terrified.

A few hours later, Sokka gathered the group out to an open field not far from the beach home. He had set up a mock fight with Ozai posing as a few sticks with a cape and a melon for a head. "Gather round, Team Avatar" Sokka said, "In order to take out the Fire Lord - or in this case, the Melon Lord - our timing has to be perfect". He knelt down to the ground and used a stick to draw out the plan, "First, Suki and I will draw his fire. Then, Katara and Zuko charge in with some liquidy hot offense, and while the Melon Lord is distracted, Aang swoops in ... and bam! He delivers the final blow"

Toph looked over where he drew in the sand, "Uhh what about me?" she asked. Sokka looked over at her, "For now, you're the Melon Lord's forces" he told her. Her face immediately lit up, "So I get to chuck flaming rocks at all of you?" she asked. Sokka shrugged, "Whatever makes the training feel more realistic."

It didn't take long for Toph to get into character. In minutes she was cackling evilly and chucking flaming rocks towards the group as they tried to get past stone guards. The group was well powered against Toph's offense, deflecting her attacks. "Now Aang!" Sokka yelled. Aang flew through the air, his staff aimed at the Melon Lord's head. But as he went, the resolve in his face dropped and his staff stopped inches from the Melon Lord's skull.

Everyone waited, confused, as Aang stood still, looking at the melon head. "What are you waiting for? Take him out!" Zuko yelled. But Aang stood and shook his head, "I can't"

Sokka stormed up to Aang, "What's wrong with you? If this was the real deal, you'd be shot full of lightning right now" he told him, angered and confused on why Aang didn't finish the battle. Aang shook his head again, looking down, "I'm sorry, but it just didn't feel right. I didn't feel like myself". With that, Sokka drew his sword and slices the melon in half, "There. That's how its done"

A few hours later, Katara was going through the attic, trying to find some spare clothes or some old pots and pans to cook with. The kitchen was beautiful, it was a shame there was no one here to use it for so many years. As she went to pick up an old box, it fell through her fingertips and spilled on the floor. Cursing, she picked up the old heirlooms. As she went to pick up an old scroll that had unraveled in the fall, she examined it.

It was an old baby picture. The painting pictured the little boy playing with a toy smiling. She smiled at the picture, "Zuko was so cute as a baby". Did she really just say that out loud? She shook her head to get rid of the thought. But her mind wandered to what Zuko's kids would look like and if they had blue eyes.

"Stop it Katara!" she told herself. Why was she thinking of having Zuko's kids? He was probably going to marry some rich noblewomen after the war. Why did that thought make her upset? Katara held open the scroll and couldn't seem to put it away. She stuck it in her back pocket and kept looking.

Once she found some pots, she headed back down the steps to the kitchen, where she saw Sokka sitting and brewing after the incident with Aang. When Sokka saw her, he perked up, "Katara! Just who I wanted to see!" he told her. Katara rolled her eyes, "What do you want Sokka?" she asked. He smiled big, "Something to eat" the brother and sister repeated at the same time. After Katara rolled her eyes once more, she went into the cupboard to grab something.

But as she bent over, the scroll fell from her pocket. Sokka picked it up and examined it, "Why do you have an old baby picture of Zuko in your pocket?" he asked skeptically. Katara grabbed it from him, "Oh umm…" she thought for a moment for an excuse, "I got it, so I could show everyone at dinner. That would probably embarrass him" she told him.

He paused for a moment then laughed, "That'll be hilarious!" he took the apple from her hand and bit into it, "Thanks sis" and left the room.

Katara let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

 **Ta-Daaa! How'd you guys like that chapter? I thought I would jazz up the old scroll Katara found a little bit. Hope you guys liked that one! Until next time!**


	34. Chapter 34: The Argument

**Hello everyone! Welcome to chapter 34 of Freedom! Hope you guys enjoyed last chapter! There's only a few left! Thank you guys for reading as always! I'm not gonna talk long cause I want to get right into it! As always I do not own Avatar or its characters. Onto the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 34: The Argument**

Later that night at dinner, Katara spoke up, "I have a surprise for everyone!" she told the group, holding the scroll in her hands. She almost didn't want to embarrass Zuko, afraid he would be upset with her. Almost.

Toph jumped up, excited, "I knew it! You did have a secret thing with Haru!" she yelled. Katara looked at her confused, "Um no" she said. She also missed how Zuko let out a breath at her response. Katara pulled out the scroll and unraveled it, showing the group, "Look at baby Zuko! Isn't he cute?" she asked. Everyone laughed except Zuko and Toph mumbled under her breath, "Of course you think that" but it went unnoticed by the group.

Zuko looked down, the glower on his face unknown. Afraid he was upset Katara recanted, "I'm only teasing" she told him. "That's not me" he told her, "It's my father" he said. Katara rolled up the scroll, embarrassed for showing it to everyone and even more embarrassed for the real reason she took it. Suki spoke up, "But he looks so sweet and innocent" she questioned, unsure hoe a small precious baby could turn into what he was. Zuko shook his head, "Well, that sweet little kid grew up to be a monster, and the worst father in the history of fathers."

Aang was sitting away from the group, listening in on their conversation, "But he's still a human being", it was the first time he spoke during dinner. "You're going to defend him?" Zuko questioned, agitated. Aang shook his head, "No, I agree with you…" he stood up and faced them, "Fire Lord Ozai is a horrible person, and the world would probably be better off without him, but there's got to be another way…"

"Like what?" Zuko asked, still angry with the airbender's attitude toward his father. Aang paced thinking, "I don't know…" he perked up getting an idea, "We can make some big pots of glue, and then I can use gluebending to stick his arms and legs together so he can't bend anymore" he said excitedly. "Yeah, then you can show him his baby pictures, and all those happy memories will make him good again" Zuko said, sarcastically. Aang perked up more, "You think that will work?" not getting the boy's sarcasm. "No!" Zuko yelled.

Aang looked down dejected and continued to pace, "This goes against everything I learned from the monks. I can't just go around wiping out people I don't like!" he yelled, exasperatedly. Sokka spoke up, "Sure you can. You're the Avatar. If it's in the name of keeping balance, I'm pretty sure the universe will forgive you". But Aang turned on Sokka, yelling at him, "This isn't a joke, Sokka! None of you understand the position I'm in!"

Katara stepped forward, trying to diffuse the situation, "Aang, we do understand. It's just…" but Aang yelled back at her, "Just what, Katara? What?"

"We're trying to help!" she yelled back. But this didn't calm Aang, "Then, when you figure out a way for me to beat the Fire Lord without taking his life, I'd love to hear it!" with that, he stormed off. Katara went to go follow him, but Zuko placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. She turned to him and he placed his hand on her back, "Let him go… He needs to sort this out for himself"

Katara sighed, knowing he was right and nodded slightly, turning away from where Aang went. She sadly went off to her room, not looking at anyone as she went. After a few minutes, Zuko couldn't help but follow her there. He knocked on her door slightly, when he heard a small come in.

She had a feeling it was Zuko who followed her and wasn't surprised to see him walk through the door. A single tear fell down her cheek and Zuko crossed the room in two steps to pull her into his arms. She felt at home there.

"What if…" she spoke, "What if he can't do it?" she said as she began to cry harder. "He will…" Zuko told her, rubbing her back as he spoke, "He has to…"

Katara's breath became even after a moment, "If Aang dies… I will kill him…" she said, her voice hard all of a sudden. Zuko shook his head, "That's not your destiny… Aang will defeat my… the Fire Lord… Where's that overwhelming sense of hope you always carry with you?" he asked, lightheartedly. She smiled a little and nodded, "Thank you Zuko…" she told him. He only nodded his reply, looking at her.

He could feel words on the tip of his tongue but was unsure of how to say them. "I'll see you tomorrow… Rest…" he told her. She nodded and laid back on her bed, watching him as he retreated.

The next morning, the group was loading Appa to leave for their journey. The comet was fast approaching, and they were headed towards the earth kingdom. They were able to spy on a solider in town and they heard him talking about Ozai's plan to destroy the earth kingdom. It made everyone even more on edge.

"Okay that's everything!" Sokka said, dusting off his hands. But Toph spoke up, "No it's not"

"Where's Aang?"

 **Dun Dun DUUUNNN! What's gonna happen? Is Aang going to make it in time in this version? Short chapter, I know. But the next one will be longer! And even more action packed! No one is safe in this battle! Until next time!**


	35. Chapter 35: The Realization

**Hello everyone! Welcome to chapter 35 of Freedom! Sorry for the wait for this chapter. Finals week hit me hard lol. But now I'm back with a new chapter! How are you guys liking this story so far? Let me know! As always, I do not own Avatar or its characters. Onto the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 35: The Realization**

The search for Aang became a full frenzy. Everyone split up, searching every part of the island for the Avatar. They were able to find a trail of footprints leading straight into the water but other then that, there was no trace of Aang. When the group reconvened, all saying that they had found nothing. They were all at a loss of what to do. Katara turned to Zuko, "What should we do Zuko? You're kind of an expert at capturing Aang…"

Zuko looked down, thinking. "June… Her shirsu can detect scents from hundreds of miles away. We bring something of Aangs to her and she will be able to find him". Everyone nodded, agreeing with his plan. "Where is she?" Sokka asked. But Zuko walked away, saying, "That's the easy part"

Zuko began to pack for their journey, knowing they most likely won't make it back here before the comet, if ever again. He looked out his window and saw Katara packing up Appa. Every day that passed he saw more of her. The woman who gave him his freedom. The woman who he could lose. The woman who he cared for greatly.

The woman he loved.

What? Did he really just think that? Did he love her?

But suddenly it all made sense. It was as if the clouds opened up and he saw sun for the first time. Yes. He did love her. He had loved her for longer then he could remember. But was it too late? Was he going to lose her? He wasn't sure if he could live with himself if he did.

Zuko didn't even realize he was staring until he saw the brown eyes beauty of his thoughts turn back towards him. He smiled, it was all he could do. She smiled back her gorgeous smile and he felt himself go weak in the knees. He loved her. He had to protect her.

A few hours later, they were in a small pub in the earth kingdom. They saw June sitting at the bar, arm wrestling a broad-shouldered man. "There she is" Zuko said, "I'll go talk to her"

Zuko walked towards June, "Looks like Prince Pouty has arrived with his crew. I see you're on better terms with your girlfriend since last time I saw you". Zuko glared, "She's not my girlfriend", he told her, as much as he wished he could say differently. "I need your help" he asked her. June tsked, "It's gonna cost you" she told him. Zuko shook his head, "Not an issue". June looked up at this, "Okay I'm listening", she stood up and followed him.

He described the whole situation to her, from Aangs strange disappearance to the footsteps. "So basically the Avatar is missing and you need to find him… Not much has changed" June said, petting her shirshu on his neck. Zuko rolled his eyes and handed her Aangs staff, "Just try to find him" he told her.

June took the staff and brought it to the shirsus nose. The shirsu sniffed around for a moment, before becoming confused and rubbing his nose with his paw, giving up. "What does that mean?" Toph asked. "It means your friend his gone. He doesn't exist" June tossed the staff carelessly back at them.

The group stood silent, unsure of how to move forward. If Aang was gone, how would they get him back? "That's a real head scratcher. See ya" they watched June leave.

"Now what?" Sokka asked. Zuko shook his head, "The only person who could defeat the Fire Lord besides Aang would be my Uncle… But we have no idea where he might be…" he was quiet. "How could we find him?" Suki asked. But Zuko shook his head again, "I have nothing of his to track his scent with… And there's not enough time to find him ourselves"

The solemn group took a trip on Appa to a small campsite on the coast of the earth kingdom, at a loss of what to do. They sat around the fire, the comet practically hours away. "So now what?" Toph asked. Sokka shrugged, "We wait for Aang to show up I guess… And hope its before the comet"

Zuko shook his head, "No…" the group turned to look at him. They waited for him to speak, "We need to be ready… We can't give up on Aang. He will show up to fight the Fire Lord and we need to be ready when he does"

"What should we do Zuko? We didn't exactly have a plan…" Suki asked, unsure. Zuko thought for a moment, "Sokka can I see your map?" he asked. Sokka reached into his bag and handed Zuko his stack of maps from around the world. Zuko laid out the map of the world and the earth kingdom.

"The Fire Lord plans to take out the Earth Kingdom… He's going to approach from here" Zuko pointed, "He will be able to extinguish the most amount of villages from that angle… Some of us need to be ready when they approach". Sokka looked up, as if making a realization, "The airships... The Fire Lord is going to approach on air ships from this direction. We need to be ready to take out the other air ships so Aang can focus on Ozai"

Zuko nodded, agreeing with his plan, "The four of you, that will be your task". They all looked at him, "What are you going to do?" Toph asked. "I will be in the fire nation" he spoke, "I need to be there to overthrow Azula once the Fire Lord falls… Or else she will be next in line. I have told you all before that defeating my sister is my destiny… So this is where I will leave you all to yours"

Katara looked to argue but one look from Zuko caused her to be quiet. "How are you going to get there?" Sokka asked him, "We only have one Appa…"

Zuko thought for a moment, "I haven't thought that far yet…" he confessed. Katara spoke up, "Where the airships plan to land isn't far… We'll head there at first light and camp until dusk when the comet arrives… The Fire Lord will be at the shores at the first sight of the comet so we will need to be prepared for his arrival either way. Then Zuko will take Appa to the Fire Nation…" she looked at Zuko and nodded, making him think she had let go her coming with him. She hadn't.

"So its settled… And we have 24 hours to pull it off… And it could go to all hell if Aang doesn't arrive" Sokka said.

Zuko nodded, "Yes…"

 **Ta-Daaa! The plan is set in place! A little different then the original since Iroh is still no where to be found. If you think about it, Zuko wouldn't have Iroh's shoe because he would have lost everything when he was captured. Something you wouldn't think about! Until next time!**


	36. Chapter 36: The Spark

**Hello everyone! Welcome to chapter 36 of Freedom! This is where the comet begins! So a very exciting chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it as I did! Also, happy new years eve everyone! Wishing everyone happiness and success in the new year! As always, I do not own Avatar or its characters. Onto the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 36: The Spark**

The group rose at first light the next morning. It was finally the day of the comet and the sense of that hung in the air. There had been no sight of Aang in the night, someone kept watch just in case. And they still had no clue if he would show up, but they had to try, even if it meant their lives.

Zuko went to the front of Appa, offering to steer. He wanted some alone time before he left the group. He was about to face his sister, knowing he or her could not make it out with their life. He felt some remorse for what he might have to do, but still couldn't decide if he would. Would he actually be able to kill his sister if it came to that? He didn't know until he got to that moment.

He looked back at Katara sitting in the back. She sat looking at the rising sun, her hair blowing gently behind her. In a few hours, he would be leaving her in the care of her brother. He trusted Sokka to protect her and her to protect herself but another part of him felt like he was leaving her in the hands of the devil. There would be nothing stopping his father from killing her. He very easily could.

But she couldn't come with him. He couldn't help but think of the dream he had back at the air temple.

 _"You're the reason mother left us. You're the reason we lost everything!" she yelled, taking a stance to direct lightening. Zuko stood his ground, prepare to redirect it. But Azula shot the lightening behind him. Zuko turned quickly to see what she was aiming at, just to see Katara fly back, the lightening coursing through her veins._

 _Zuko ran to her, ignoring Azula's cackles. He kneeled by her side, looking down at her precious face. Katara looked back at him, "You did this to me… This is your fault…" and with that, her eyes fell closed as Zuko yelled her name._

The air temple wasn't the last time that dream occurred. It happened many nights since and every time afterwards, he lay awake.

He didn't know what she wanted. He didn't know if she wanted him or Aang, or if after the war she wanted to go home or travel. But he couldn't lose her. He couldn't hold her limp body as she died. He couldn't do it. If it were up to him, she would be somewhere the war couldn't touch. But that wasn't possible and he knew with her stubbornness she would never allow it.

But he wanted her safe. And fighting Azula with him wasn't safe.

It wasn't long before they landed at the shore that the Fire Lord would be arriving in just a few hours. When he arrived, he would attempt to destroy every living thing in his path. And hopefully Aang would be there to stop him. At least that's what they hoped.

They unloaded everyone's things off of Appa. They would set up a small camp until the air ships were in sight. Then they would attack. Zuko kept his small pack on Appa and took only a small amount of food for his short journey. It was only a small snack to eat along the way, since as soon as he landed, he would be faced with Azula.

Katara was watching him from a far and how he stayed away from the group, taking time to digest his mission and prepare himself. She wanted to go with him. This wasn't something he should do alone. He shouldn't have to face Azula by himself.

Why was he being so stubborn? She wanted nothing more then to help him and he won't let her! Her anger rose just thinking about it! She walked by to him and brushed his shoulder, indicting him to follow. After a moment, she heard his footsteps behind her.

Once she walked a fair distance away from the others, she turned on him, "Why won't you let me come with you?! You can't do this all on your own!"

Zuko's eyes widened at her outburst, "Katara I-" but she cut him off quickly. Katara kept yelling, "You don't have to do everything alone anymore! We can help you! I want to help you! I would never live with myself if I let you go alone and you didn't survive! What if she wounds you too much to continue? What if she kills you? What if-"

He cut her off by placing his lips firmly over hers. It was like everything in the universe stopped, except for them. Like there was no war or no fighting. They clung to each other as if they would let go and the world would fall apart beneath them. The sparks flew like fireworks above them.

Katara knew then in that moment that whatever she felt with Zuko, felt nothing like Aang. She loved Aang and wished for his safety more then life but the sparks of their kiss were like sparklers compared to the fireworks Zuko lit inside of her. What she felt for Aang was not what she felt for Zuko.

Zuko look at her, almost as if looking into her soul, "Katara I…" he trailed off, unsure how to put into words. "I need to tell you something… Something you need to know in case I don't…"

"No" Katara said. Zuko frowned, "What?" he said confused at her response. Did she not want to know? Did she already know and did not care? Did she not feel the same thing he felt?

Katara began, "I want you to tell me after we win against Azula… Together" she smiled and he smiled back, showing she had won. "Okay" was all he said.

They headed back towards the others, unknown to what had just happened just beyond the tree line. They explained the new plan of Katara going with Zuko and they all oddly seemed relieved that the firebender would not be making this journey alone. And they all knew Katara was the right person to accompany him.

As Zuko and Katara flew away, it seemed as if so much had happened already. But the battle had just begun.

 **Dun DUN DUUUUUNNNN! That's it for this chapter! Wow! Bet you guys did not see that one coming! A kiss before the final battle! I hope you guys enjoyed that chapter! Next time, we get into the final battle! Until next time!**


	37. Chapter 37: The Lightning

**Hello everyone! Welcome to chapter 37 of Freedom! We are almost to the end! This is the official beginning to the final battle and it has come so far from the cave in chapter 1! I hope you guys have enjoyed going on this ride with me and can't wait to see what I have in store for the sequel. As always, I do not own avatar or its characters. Onto the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 37: The Lightning**

The ride to the fire nation was silent. The two taking in what had just occurred but also becoming prepared for the battle ahead. After a while of flying, they saw the comet begin to surface. The sky turned a shade of orange and red and everything suddenly became more real. This was it. It was now or never.

"It's… beautiful…" Katara said, looking out at the comet as it slowly rose into the sky. Zuko nodded but offered no other response. He wasn't sure how. It was a beautiful sight that gave his father and his army the power to kill thousands of people and destroy their homes. Any who managed to survive would be forced into labor and support the fire nation. The thought of that was anything but beautiful. It made him sick to his stomach.

His breath hitched in his throat when he saw the outline of the palace come into view. It had been so long since he had been home. And he was finally coming back and reclaiming it.

"By decree of Phoenix King Ozai, I now crown you Fire Lord…" the fire sage paused, catching Zuko's eye as he landed. Shocked by the appearance of the other heir, he stopped from putting the crown on Azula's head.

Azula went to yell at the fire sage before seeing he was distracted by something behind her. She turned to see Zuko and Katara getting off of Appa. "Sorry but you're not becoming Fire Lord today. I am." Zuko told her, standing proudly. Azula merely laughed, "You're hilarious… You want to be Fire Lord? Fine. Let's settle this. Just you and me, brother. The showdown that was always meant to be. Agni Kai!"

Zuko's eyes narrowed, "You're on" he told her, clenching his fists. Katara looked at him, "Zuko… She's trying to separate us… Don't do this…" she reached for his hand, begging him.

Zuko turned to her, "There's something off about her… She's losing it… I can take her this time. I know it… And this way you don't have to get hurt" he smiled at her and squeezed her hand, trying to reassure her he would be okay.

Meanwhile the battle was in full scale at the shore front. The trip used Toph's earthbending to propel themselves on top of the airship. They were going one by one and trying to either pop the balloon holding the air ship up or crashing them into each other. But this had only gotten them 3 airships down and there was still so many. The first village was fast approaching, and they didn't have much time left.

Suddenly Sokka perked up, "Look! It's Aang!" And there he stood.

Aang stood on top of a pillar, looking towards the fleet, strong and proud. He didn't look scared or weary. But confident and ready to take on what was in front of him.

The two siblings stood head to head, their fighting stances at the ready. Neither knew what would come of this battle. Katara stood off to the side, watching from a safe distance but close enough she could run in if she needed to. She wouldn't break the fire nation tradition and join the battle but if Zuko was badly hurt enough, she would come to heal him and overtake Azula.

"I'm sorry it had to end this way brother" Azula smiled, her fighting stance awkward and unbalanced, very much unlike the firebending prodigy. Zuko shook his head, "No you're not" he stood strong. As he looked onto his opponent, he remembered everything his Uncle had taught him because it all lead to this moment. They had fought as kids but it was nothing like the battle for their lives.

 _"Remember Zuko… Keep your core strong… If your core is strong, then nobody can break you" Uncle Iroh said, showing his nephew the proper stance. "Like a earthbender Uncle?" Zuko asked, his voice still young and childlike. His Uncle smiled and nodded, "Yes Prince Zuko… Strong like an earthbender… You can learn something from all of the benders" he told the young boy. His eyes widened, surprised, "Really?" he asked. His Uncle nodded again, "Yes and I will teach it all to you"_

Azula sent a sudden blast of blue fire and an evil cackle toward Zuko. He brought his hands forward avoiding the blaze. He bended a flame in each hand, sending the fire towards his opponent. She deflected them and sent fire back towards them. He spun around, being light on his feet.

 _"When you are in battle Prince Zuko, you must be light on your feet in order to dodge your opponents fire. You will be able to deflect yes but sometimes it is best to get out of the way" Uncle told him as he battled a solider. A slightly older Zuko replied, "Like an airbender?" he asked. Uncle Iroh nodded, proud of his nephews insight._

The two benders made a wall of fire, each only missing the other by inches. As the wall dissipated, Azula came at Zuko with a spinning kick, sending several blasts his way.

Katara watched scared as the two battled to the death. The fire was as bright as the comet soaring over top of them. The colors of red and blue collided together to make something almost beautiful, but also terrifying.

She tried to stay alert to what was happening but they both moved so fast. It was like her eyes played tricks on her. Zuko fought hard, the sweat prevalent on his forehead but he didn't seem to be slowing down or giving up.

Suddenly, the two stopped firing for a moment, facing each other in a stare down. "What? No lightening today? Afraid I'll redirect it?" Zuko quipped.

Zuko looked onto Azula. The more they fought, the less afraid he became. He knew he would win this fight. Azula smirked at his comment, "I'll show you lightening!" she yelled. Zuko prepared himself for the attack.

 _"Waterbenders deal with the flow of energy. A waterbender lets their defense become their offense, turning their opponents' energy against them. I learned a way to do this with lightning" Iroh showed him the movements as he spoke. A much older Zuko, closer to his age now, responded, "You can teach me to redirect lightening?" he asked him, surprised. Uncle nodded, continuing the motions, "If you let the energy in your own body flow, the lightning will follow it. You must create a pathway from your fingertips, up your arm to your shoulder, then down into your stomach"_

Zuko remembered his Uncles words. Somehow, he knew it would prepare him for this moment. Azula began to form the lightning on her fingertips and he assumed his stance. He was ready.

But suddenly her eyes shifted from him, to something else. And before he knew it, the lightning had a different target.

Katara.

 **Uh oh! Azula is attacking Katara to get to Zuko! Find out what happens next chapter! Until next time!**


	38. Chapter 38: The Man She Loved

**Hello everyone! Welcome to chapter 38 of Freedom! I'm not gonna talk long cause I know you guys are ready to get into the action! So here we go! As always, I do not own Avatar or its characters. Onto the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 38: The Man She Loved**

Katara watched how the fire dissipated from the two. They looked at each other in an epic stare down. "What? No lightening today? Afraid I'll redirect it?" Zuko quipped. She silently begged him not to get cocky. It was not the time. He had to be focused and prepared and not let his ego get the best of him.

Azula practically cackled, "I'll show you lightning!" she yelled back. Katara saw Zuko prepare himself. He knew he could do it. After all his Uncle had showed him and all he had been through, he was more at peace in his life then ever and he knew he would be able to do this.

Katara watched with bated breath as Azula formed the lightning at her fingers. Just as she was preparing to strike, almost like a snake at its prey, her gaze shifted.

To her.

It was merely seconds before Azula let the lightning shoot from her fingertips right for her.

Katara was frozen, everything was happening so fast. She didn't have enough time to process then move out of the way. The lightning in front of her had almost put her in a trance. Its brightness compelling her to stay put.

She heard a cry. A yell. And the lightning seemed to be blocked from her view.

It took her a moment to process what had just happened. It was almost as if she blacked out as soon as the lightning came straight for her heart. But Katara looked and saw Zuko laying in front of her. His body electric from the lightning that coursed through him. It was a different kind of sparks. And in an instant, it was as if the world came back into view. Zuko was dying.

The man she loved was dying.

It was as if everything made sense. She loved Zuko. And if she didn't hurry, she was going to lose him.

She tried to make a run for his body, but a blast of blue fire blocked his path. She had to take Azula out and fast.

Katara turned her attention to Azula, praying to Tui and La that Zuko would be alive when she reached him. She ran towards Azula, going side to side to avoid lightning and fire Azula threw her way. Azula jumped onto the building, trying to gain the high ground and shoot at her from below. But Katara used water to get her on top of the building as well. She continued to chase the crazed firebender, knowing she had a better chance at hand to hand combat then far away.

Azula sent blast after blast at Katara and the waterbender began to understand what Zuko meant. She wasn't precise. She wasn't accurate. She wasn't aware. She was full on losing it. That was why Zuko knew he could beat her in the fight. And if Azula hadn't broken the rules of an Agni Kai by getting others involved, he would have won. Which was probably why she did cheat. She saw the loss coming so she did what she could to overthrow her opponent.

Katara aimed waterwhips for the firebender but she hopped from building to building to escape them. But as she fought, she remembered something.

 _Hama began to speak, "Growing up in the South Pole, water benders are totally at home surrounded by snow and ice and seas. But as you probably noticed on your travels, that isn't the case wherever you go" she explained. Katara agreed quickly, "I know! When we were stranded in the desert, I felt like there was almost nothing I could do". Hama turned to her, "That's why you have to learn to control water wherever it exists"_

 _"When you fight, you must use your surroundings to your advantage" Pakku told her, after their battle for her to be taught by him. Katara frowned, "I mean that's easy when we're in one of the poles… There's water and ice everywhere… But how will I know when there isn't that?" Pakku chuckled, "You will find it"_

 _"Blood bending."_

 _Katara looked at the woman, she thought as a teacher, frightened. Hama spoke again after a pause, "Controlling the water in another body, enforcing your own will over theirs…"_

Katara often asked herself why she had learned that awful technique. Why was it her that had to face the burden of being a bloodbender? Now she knew.

She looked around for water. She looked everywhere for more water then was just in her pouch, but any available to her was too far away to be useful. She didn't have time. Zuko was dying.

The man she loved was dying. And it was her job to save him. Even if it meant this.

It wasn't a full moon but she knew in her heart what she had to do. She knew she was strong enough. She had to be for Zuko.

Instead of taking the offense, she began to take the defense. Katara jumped from the building and out of sight of the firebender. She heard the crazed woman call out to her, "Where are you filthy peasant? Come out come out and play!"

Katara wanted the firebender to think she was cornered, that this was it. She used the last of her water to block an attack of blue fire. That was it. It was now or never.

Eventually, Azula caught up to her, "Enough running!" she yelled. Azula lifted her two fingers, positioned to fill her with lightning. But just as her fingers almost hit her nose, Katara took a hold of her blood.

Azula's eyes moved around her in fear, unknown what had controlled her body. Katara brought her to the ground, focused and clear minded. Azula spoke, "What are you doing to me?!"

She was scared. Katara could easily see that. At first, she felt guilty. But she remembered all the hurt and suffering Azula had caused. What this war had caused. She remembered Zuko laying on the ground behind her, lightning filling his body and taking over his heart. She didn't feel guilty anymore. If anyone deserved this, it was her.

Katara went to the firebender, still holding onto her blood and kneeled her down, tying her to a post. She finally let go.

Azula coughed once her blood had once again become her own. And then she cried. She breathed blue fire from her mouth and cried. She had failed her father, who she looked up to above all else. She betrayed her country. She failed. And it drove her mad.

Katara ran to Zuko as fast as she possibly could. She turned him onto his front and inspected the wound. It had burned straight through his shirt and straight into his chest. She prayed she wasn't too late.

She began to heal him, focusing every ounce of energy she had left into him, hoping it would be enough. She finished and looked down at him.

He hadn't moved.

Katara began to cry, "No… Zuko please". She kept trying to heal him, but he still didn't move a muscle. "Please Zuko… I love you…", she looked at his chest and the wound that had been healed over.

"I love you too Katara"

She looked back at him. His eyes had opened and he was smiling. She began to cry more and cupped his scarred check.

She leaned down and kissed him with everything she had. She had thought she lost him. So she kissed him with all the passion in her heart and all the passion that was left unsaid. And he kissed her back with just that.

Katara pulled away, "I thought I lost you…" she told him. But he shook his head and clung to her, almost as if his life depended on it, "I'm right here…"

 **Ta-Daaa! Aww! A happy ending! I hope you guys liked that! How did you guys like how I changed the final battle? Final chapter and the epilogue and we're finished! Until next time!**


	39. Chapter 39: The Reality

**Hello everyone! Welcome to the final chapter of Freedom! This has been a long time coming and I am very proud of how this story has progressed. It was my first story on here and I am happy with how it turned out! This is not the end for this story and these characters however, since there will be a sequel. That will be explained all in the epilogue! Now as always, I do not own avatar or its characters. Onto the story!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Chapter 39: The Reality**

Katara helped Zuko stand from where he lied on the pavement. He looked around at the destruction his sister had caused as he heard her wail in despair from where she sat at the pillar. The courtyard was completely ruined and would need to be rebuilt. But the memories of the battle they had would always be ingrained in his brain no matter what they did to repair the buildings.

Three guards came up to where Zuko and Katara stood. Katara held tightly onto Zuko, to support him but also just because she wanted to. "What should we do my lord?" one guard asked, bowing to him. The fight pronounced Zuko as the new Fire Lord and it was clear that these guards were loyal to him. Zuko looked around, "Get several men to restrain her in the prison tower. It will be later decided what should happen with her… Then prepare for the Avatar's arrival" the guards bowed and left to attend to their duties.

Zuko walked towards the palace, beckoning Katara to follow them. He walked through the front doors for the first time in many years. It was a strange feeling being home but everything was familiar. He recognized the paintings that hung on the walls and carpet that lined the floors. Everything was exactly the same. He reminded himself to do some interior decorating.

Katara looked at him, "So what do we do now?" she asked him. Zuko sighed, "We wait… Aang will know that they must return to the fire nation in order to pronounce him… Whatever he is… We just have to wait until then…"

Katara nodded, silent. This was the most agonizing part. They had no other choice but to wait. Zuko couldn't leave with his condition or with his new status. Although he had no been crowned, he was technically the new Fire Lord. Why did that seem so strange to her? The man she loved and knew so well now held such a high position of power. What was she? His Fire Lady? Is that what she may become?

"Zuko?" Katara asked. He looked over at her. She had barely registered him telling a servant to take Appa to one of the stables to rest and recover. "What happens now? With us…" she asked him. He shook his head, "That is entirely up to you…" he told her. But she just shook her head too, "I don't know…"

Zuko sighed, "Katara…" he didn't know where to begin, "I love you… And I want… something with you… I'm not sure where to begin… But I do know when to begin… And its not now…"

Katara looked at him, confused, "What do you mean…" she asked him. He sighed again, "I have a duty now… To my country, to my people… I need to be there to rebuild… Ozai has destroyed this country in more ways then one. Because he put all of our money and goods into war weapons, this country is full of poverty and sick people… I need to be there for them to rebuild… Not to mention the rebellions that are sure to happen if Ozai is brought down…"

He paused for a moment then continued, "I need to be there for my people… As do you" she looked at him before he continued once again, "You have a duty to the south pole as well… You have a duty to your family… That is your duty after the war"

Katara listened to him, and as much as she wanted it to be different, she understand wholeheartedly. They couldn't abandon their duties and run off into the sunset. They had things they needed to take care of. He took both of her hands in his, "I promise you… This isn't a goodbye forever… I promise you there is nothing I want more then to be with you… But we both have a duty to our people… When the world is in a better place, we can and will be together… I promise you"

She nodded, understanding but not being able to help the tear that fell down her cheek. Zuko kissed it away then captured her lips in his, knowing it may be the last time for awhile they may get to hold each other. It didn't need to be said that they wanted to keep their passion for each other a secret from their friends. It was a best kept between them.

A guard came up behind them, "Prince Zuko?" he asked. Zuko pulled away from Katara and looked at him, "Yes?" he asked.

"The Avatar has arrived" the guard said. Zuko and Katara looked at each other and smiled. "Take us to him please" Zuko said, smiling. "Also… speak nothing of what you saw today" he added to the guard. The guard nodded, "Of course sir"

The pair practically ran to go see their friends. As soon as they were in sight, they actually ran to them, Zuko ignoring the pain of his wound. They pulled each other in a group hug, happy to see them all alive.

Katara turned to Aang, tears in her eyes, "I am so proud of you…" she told him, pulling him in for a hug. "How did you do it?" Zuko asked, "How did you…" he trailed off, thinking the worst.

Aang smiled, "I didn't…" he confessed. Zuko and Katara exchanged a look, "Then how did you…" Katara said, confusion written on her face. Aang smiled again, "I took away his bending"

The two looked at him in surprise, shock written all over their face. "Wow… umm…" Zuko said, not knowing what to say, "Where is he?" he asked. The guard then spoke up, "Already in custody and waiting your judgement sir"

Zuko nodded his thanks to the guard and turned back to his friends. Sokka smiled, "We also have one more surprise for you…" he told Zuko in particular. Zuko frowned, unsure of what more they could give him at the moment.

His Uncle stepped from behind Appa.

Tears filled his eyes, "Uncle!" Zuko yelled as he ran into his open arms. Iroh's eyes were anything but dry as he pulled him in for a hug, "I am so proud of you Prince Zuko… So proud…"

"That's all I've ever tried to do Uncle…" Zuko told him.

For the rest of the evening, they sat in the palace and shared the stories of their adventures.

First Aang told the story of how he had overpowered Ozai. He explained his journey to the island turtle and how he had told him what he must do. Then he told them how he had battled Ozai and it looked like he might lose. But then suddenly, he went into the Avatar state. From there it was blurry to him but Sokka filled in the gaps of how he had taken Ozai's bending.

Sokka and Toph explained how they had taken out the airships and how Sokka had lost his space sword. Everyone promised they would go back and try to retrieve it for him soon. He told them how they almost thought they were going to lose but Aang showed up in the nick of time.

Then Iroh explained how he and the members of the Order of the White Lotus had taken back Ba Sing Se on the comet. Seeing their confused faces, he explained the order to the group and that since Sokka's master, Piandao had given Sokka a token, he is now part of it as well. Aang then explained how they were in the air ship going past Ba Sing Se and saw it was taken back by the earth kingdom. They stopped and found Iroh

Finally, they turned to Zuko and Katara, asking to hear their story about Azula. Zuko told the story.

"She aimed the lightning at Katara…" everyone gasped, saying their reactions. "I… I jumped in front of it… The goal was to not let anyone else get hurt by doing the Agni Kai…"

Zuko looked around at his friends. Sokka mouthed a thank you to him and everyone had gracious smiles on their faces. Katara explained the rest of the story, not telling them about their kiss or the fact she used bloodbending to apprehend Azula. That was a story for another day.

For once, they could talk and laugh with no war on their minds. There was no more looming threat hanging over them. Everything was suddenly okay.

Katara caught Zuko's eye and gave him a small smile, which he returned. Everything was okay.

 **Ta-Daaa! Aww! Don't you just love happy endings? Next chapter is the epilogue! Until next time!**


	40. Epilogue

**Hello everyone! Welcome to the Epilogue and also the final chapter of Freedom. Exactly 40 chapters later (I don't know how I did that, don't ask), we have come so far from the first chapter of my first ever story. This story took a long time to complete but I want to thank you all for coming along with me and hanging in until the end. I have loved writing this story for you all. Now the details of the sequel will be at the end of the story. As always, I do not own avatar or its characters. Onto the epilogue!**

 **What could have happened if Aang and Iroh were a few minutes more?**

 **Let's find out!**

 **Epilogue**

It had been about a month since the comet and already life was nothing like had been before.

3 days after the comet, Zuko was crowned Fire Lord in front of his people. And in the past month, he had begun to make changes to the way his father ran the country. Money was put into rebuilding what once was. Any advisors that didn't support him ending the war were stripped of their titles and removed from office. He only surrounded himself with those who shared his ideals for a better nation. He had begun to form peace treaties with the other nations that would prevent future wars. He was beginning to form a better fire nation.

The rest of the group had stayed for the past month, helping Zuko rebuild and create treaties between each of their nations. They were looked up to amongst leaders and around the world. Leaders asked their opinions about what they should do next and what needs to still be done after that.

They had all decided that after one month, they would return home. Even Toph decided to see her parents after and consider coming home. But everyone knew if she did, she wouldn't stay long.

Aang had tried for the entire month to convince Katara to come with him. In fact, he assumed she would.

 _"What do you mean you're not coming with me?" Aang asked. Katara sighed, "Aang… I need to go home… I have duties there just like you have duties around the world… I can't"_

The conversation was not an easy one.

But now he would be traveling the earth kingdom, helping towns repair after the war and going where he was needed.

Suki was heading home to Kyoshi, where she planned to stay and visit Sokka when she could. She still had duties there and couldn't up and leave. Although she secretly confided in Katara that she was going to search for someone to fulfill her position for when Sokka proposed, which she secretly hoped would be soon.

Sokka and Katara would be heading back to the southern water tribe where their father already was starting to rebuild. Sokka would be learning how to take over for their father as chief so he could eventually step down. Katara would be helping Pakku teach the younger benders that came from the north.

Everyone had plans. Everyone was busy.

But that didn't stop Zuko from creeping into Katara's thoughts. She didn't want to leave him. Even though she hardly ever saw him as of late with how busy he was, she didn't want to stop seeing his face, sharing a smile as they passed in the hallways.

But they both knew what they had to do. It just wasn't the right time. Would it ever be?

They all stood at the docks. Their bags packed and waiting for them on the ship. They were all going to take one ship and it would drop them off where they needed to go. For the first time in a while, Zuko was scared. How was he going to do this without all of the support of his friends? It was the first time in a long time that he would have to do something alone. It made him nervous.

How was he going to function without Katara? She was his lifeline. He went to her for everything. She gave the best advice and kept him cool when it seemed the world was flaming around him. He knew she had to go but that didn't mean he liked it.

He began to say his goodbyes to the group, each one harder then the last, especially since he saved Katara for last.

The rest of the group stepped away, knowing how close the two were, as much as Aang didn't like it. Katara tried to smile, "Write me…?" she asked him. Zuko nodded, "As often as I can…" he told her. He pulled in for a hug. As much as he wanted to kiss her passionately and tell her to stay, he knew he couldn't. But he still whispered in her ear, "I promise…" echoing back to the promises he made 1 month previous. She let a few tears fall, "I promise…"

They separated and Katara moved onto the boat with her family. As the ship sailed away, their eyes never left each other's. Not until the boat was out of view.

A month later, the southern water tribe was in planning mode. Sokka had finally proposed to Suki and the tribe was eager for the wedding, even though it was set for the following year.

Katara sat in her room, writing to Zuko.

 _Dear Zuko,_

 _I have big news! Sokka and Suki are getting married! Isn't it exciting? They're planning their wedding next year and you must come! It'll be a good chance to see each other. I miss you already._

She sighed, looking out her window at the moon, remembering all the times her and Zuko talked and watched the moon together.

It was comforting that they were looking at the same one.

Zuko sat at his desk, sighing after another grueling day. His advisors were on his back constantly, as well as the other leaders about peace. He just wished Katara were here.

He looked out his window at the moon. He often looked at the moon when he missed her.

It was comforting they were looking at the same one.

 **Ta-Daaa! That is the epilogue for this series! I hope you guys enjoyed it! Now what you've all been waiting for! The sequel to this series is called Sparks Ignite! And the first chapter is up right now! Go check it out now!**


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